It's Not Always How It Seems Just Another Day
by horseyluvr101
Summary: Amy Fleming is rich, popular, and famous for her family’s rehabilitation center, Heartland. But, all good things have to attract bad sometimes, right? She's torn between Baldwin Racing heir Ty, and jockey Will. It’s just another day... REVIEW!
1. Healing horses

**A/N: This is AU for Alternate Universe. I wanted Amy to have a brother, so she does and his name is Alex. This is my first fanfic so please REVIEW!!! I want to know how you like it! Amy is rich, famous and popular. Ty will come in, in later chapters. Enjoy!!!**

**-Ally**

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Amy took a deep breath. Her horse Storm had just made it over the triple bar and the duo were hastily making their way over to the water jump. _3...2...1_! Storm's powerful hindquarters heaved him over the jump and cleared it. Amy quickly muttered a word of praise. One more jump. Storm rocketed into the air over the cross poles and after a few seconds of suspension, his fore-feet gracefully hit the ground. 

Amy clapped him on the neck as he slowed to a trot, and then a walk. She glanced at the clock. _Not shabby._ She thought. Only three more people were scheduled to go after them, and so far, they were winning. Amy cooled Storm out before quickly tying him up to see how the rest of the class went.

Gavin Heeders was up on his bay, looked like Quarter Horse, gelding named Guardian Promise. They were clear so far, but their time certainly wasn't going to cut it. Promise faltered after landing the oxer, and his striding was uneven. Gavin was really trying to keep him under control; the operative word being trying. Promise came too close to the rails and snapped his knees high up to his chest. Unfortunately, that didn't work and the rail fell with a mighty thud. The pair kept on, but didn't beat Amy and Storm.

The next two competitors were no different. Just as the last rider named Sarah Pope looked as if she could stand up next to Amy, her horse spooked at a flag that one of the audience members was holding which sent Sarah flying off of her horse's back and straight into the water of the jump. Amy tried her hardest to suppress a smile, but it didn't work. No, Amy didn't enjoy seeing Sarah land face first in to the mucky water, but all-the better for Amy's chances of winning.

She quickly mounted Storm and cantered into the ring for her lap of victory. After collecting her ribbons and taking a picture with the second and third place winners, she tied up Storm and rushed over to the stands to see her friends and family.

"Hey! Did you see Storm go? He was amazing!" Amy said as soon as her little fan-club gathered around. They all nodded their heads in agreement.

"You were both great, honey." Marion Fleming said to Amy as they all headed towards the trailer. Storm was happily nibbling his hay net. Amy's best friend of 11 years, Soroya, leaned up against the trailer with the 'Heartland' monogram that shone out brightly in blue letters next to a silhouette of a human reaching out to touch a horse's forehead, the Heartland trademark.

Heartland was an infamous horse farm in Virginia. It healed mentally and physically damaged horses, but it also gave a new hope for many more clients. Now, it wasn't what some people would call a last resort for injured horses, but a new outlook for the future as it might not have been if not for Heartland.

Marion, Tim, Amy's parents, Jack, her grandfather, Soroya, and Matt, Amy's bff's, and Lou and Alex, Amy's sibling's, surrounded Amy's black Lexus GX470 SUV. Storm was loaded up and everyone piled into the car. Amy backed expertly out and they drove home. On the way they talked about the show and recent events. Every so often, a word about Amy going to Scottsdale Preparatory Academy popped into the conversation, but Amy quickly dismissed it. She turned into the circle drive outside of the house.

Stable hands bustled about and formed around the back of the trailer ready to unload and care for Storm. Amy quickly thanked them and slowly trudged into the house, tired from a long day's excitement. She surveyed her surroundings.

Directly in front of her was her elaborate white-washed mansion with balconies and grey trimming around the windows and doors. If you went to the right, you would come to the barns. There were four main barns. One of them was for the family horses. This was the nicest of them all, seeing that it was going to house horses like Storm and Amy's, Alex's, Tim's, and Marion's top show horses. The nest barn was for the worker's horses, and the third barn was for the valuable show horses that need treating. The last barn was for all the other problem horses. Plus, there was a smaller section near the back of the ground for pregnant horses, or horses that need isolation.

Amy sighed and then made a mental note to give Storm attention later for winning. She threw her shoes off to the side somewhere in the long hallway of her three story house. Her younger brother Alex bounded down the left side of the double staircase and winked at Amy.

"Hey. I'm going for a trail ride. Do you want to come?" He asked

Amy shook her head. "I need to change and go help out a little. I feel bad for neglecting my work all day for a show. Plus I think I'm going to put in a training session with the new horse Apollo. See you."

Alex shrugged. "Okay. Your loss." He flashed Amy a grin and then ran down the hallway out the door. Amy threw herself into her bedroom.

Magazines were scattered on the floor, pictures remained on the desk in an unfinished scrapbook project that may never be, and her bed was unmade from the morning rush. She quickly tossed her things aside, promising herself that she would clean up later. She pulled on faded jeans and a fitted tee-shirt to go underneath her favorite Juicy Couture track jacket.

Once downstairs, she put on her Ariat paddock boots and half chaps. Almost immediately, her body turned left to go to the show barn where Apollo was kept. She went to the fifth stall on the right and saw a beautiful blood bay Dutch Warmblood stallion.

Apollo nickered a greeting and snuffled Amy's hands for treats. She quickly unwrapped a mint and Apollo snatched it up greedily. Amy pushed him away when he searched her for more. He had been sent to Heartland for being too avid and excited.

He had already been groomed by a hand, so Amy just grabbed the tack and tacked up in only a few swift movements. She led him into the dressage arena near the back of the Fleming's land, and mounted without such even a small jump up to grab some momentum.

Apollo pranced beneath her, having not been exercised yet that day.

"Walk on." Amy said in a firm, but soothing voice. Apollo obeyed, having been very well trained in his early years. They worked in figure eights, serpentines, and even some fancy dressage movements that Amy had learned in a dressage clinic the summer earlier.

Amy did the sitting-trot for a few circuits, but then pushed him into a collected canter for three or four strides. Then, calling over a hand named Ted to set up a jump, Amy pointed him at a two-foot rail. She circled him once and they went directly for it. Apollo's striding was perfect and he popped over it like he had done it millions of times before.

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**Do you like it??? Don't forget: REVIEW!!! -Ally.**


	2. The Meeting

**Okay. I'm excited about this story, so i'm updating soon. If I don't get three reviews then I'm not updating. Ciao.**

**-Ally**

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She heard the intercom on the side of the ring beep and vibrate. She quickly hopped off of Apollo and ran over to it. She pressed the "accept" button. 

"Talk to me." She sassed.

"Amy, dear, it's time for dinner." Marion said on the other end.

"But, it's like," she checked her watch and then continued, "5:30. That's early, for us at least."

"Well, families eat dinner together at all times." Marion said coolly.

"Yeah," Amy impudently sassed again, "close families." She finished with a snort.

"Amy..." Amy could hear her mom becoming testy.

"L... like us... eh." She tried to clear.

Marion sighed. "Just come in for dinner. Okay? Helga has prepared a lovely meal for us tonight."

"Yeah, mom, will do. K. See you." Amy shut off the intercom before her mom had time to say anything else. "Come on, boy. Let's go."

They walked up the flat ground back into the third barn which Amy had so cleverly named "barn number three." She untacked Apollo and asked a hand to the rest. Although she had promised to give Storm some attention, she also hadn't planned to have dinner this early.

As she trudged up to her mansion, or so say, she thought in the time alone. _Oh no. The only reason we're having dinner this early is because there is something going on. Mom knows me all too well, _Since everyone knew that Amy has sensitive emotions, they have full fledged learned to give her at least a couple hours to cool off.

_Let's get this over with._ She silently spoke. She walked into the house, put her boots into the closet, and went into the main dining room. Her family was seated around the long table. Tim and Marion on each end of the table, and Lou sat on the right side of Marion. Alex sat next to Tim on his right side. Amy took her seat on Marion's left side.

She saw Alex's agitated face. She knew that he never liked to come in before the required time; usually 7:30 or 8. Lou sat contentedly just fiddling with her napkin. Amy finally broke the silence; she couldn't take the stillness. Amy finally voiced the question on all of the Fleming children's minds.

"Uh, mom, why are we eating so early? Is something up?" Amy had the courage to say. Alex looked up, interested in where the conversation was heading. Lou, too, stopped playing around with her napkin to look up and get involved. Tim just looked at the floor, pretending to be studying the handy work of the contractors.

"Oh. Well, I..." Marion's speech was broken by Helga bustling in and giving everyone their dinner. "Ah, Helga." Everyone murmured their thanks.

"So, mom, you still haven't answered my question. I'm waiting." Amy said.

"Well..." She began, "How would you kids like a change of view? Alex, I know you never like to stay still for more than a few minutes. Lou, everything would be more exciting, and, Amy, I know how you love excitement and adventure."

"We're not kids! I'm 13 already! Amy is 17 and Lou is 23! Can you stop calling us kids for God's sake?" Alex began and then stopped. "Wait, wait, wait. What are you trying to say, mom?" Alex spoke up.

"Well, I guess I – _we_ your father and I - are saying, how would you like to move? Now, Lou, don't let your mouth hang open like that. Amy, don't argue." Marion coolly said.

"But, but, but... you, we, we just, _can't_." Amy barely said. "You know I like it here! Are you intent on ruining my life!?!" Amy screamed.

"Amy, hush now. It won't be that bad. I mean everything will be better in California..." Marion stopped abruptly.

"C... c, _California_???" Amy, Lou, and Alex all said in unison.

"Yes." Marion answered calmly.

"I'm not going." Amy stated firmly; her mind set on Virginia.

"I knew that you would feel that way." Marion said coolly.

"Huh?" No protests, no orders, no statement of the truth? Nothing. Amy was expecting at least two of those three things to come true. At_ least_. "Uh, uh. I mean yeah. Of course."

"You can stay. Along with you, Lou, and you as well, Alex. Lou, you can continue to manage the business, and Alex can continue to go to school and work with the horses. You are not kids anymore, as Alex stated, and you should grow up to be independent. The house, the barn, everything will remain how it is. Your father and I will go to Cali to open a new racing barn. Everything will be okay."

All of the Flemings sat in silence while Lou, Amy, and Alex nodded and thought of all the possibilities without their parents there.

A long-silenced Tim spoke-up. "Well, how are you feeling? You can of course come if you don't want to stay.

"I... I like it." Amy said finally. Lou and Alex nodded in agreement.

"Good. Very good. Shall we eat? The food will be getting cold, now." Marion said. They all ate in silence for the rest of the meal; Lou, Amy and Alex thinking of all of the possibilities in store for them.

Amy woke up the next day to her alarm clock playing my Chemical Romance's "Welcome to the Black Parade." She groped around for the off switch and dozed for a few more minutes. Finally, she woke up, took a shower, and blow dried her hair.

As she looked in the mirror, she smiled at what she saw. Although Amy wasn't the supermodel type pretty, she had her own pretty. She ran her fingers through her just below the shoulder length light brown hair. Of her whole body, her hair was the thing that she liked the most. It flared just at the bottoms and framed her long, thin face.

She quickly pulled on dark wash Abercrombie and Fitch Erin low-rise skinny jeans, and a dark blue American Eagle tank top with lace on the edges to go underneath a fitted grey Hollister shirt with a dangerously low V – neck. That was where the tank top came in handy.

She quickly stuffed her feet into her grey colored Pumas, grabbed her Dior purse which held her phone, iPod, wallet, gum, and other things, and slid on her dark blue velour Juicy Couture track jacket. She shouldered her black Kipling messenger bag and sauntered down the stairs at a leisurely pace.

"Morning." Marion said to her as she laid out a plate full of scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and a blueberry muffin on it.

"Good morning." She replied. She only took a few nibbles of each thing on her plate, not very hungry. She grabbed her keys off the hook and walked to the door.

"Honey." Marion called.

"Yeah." Amy slid back into the kitchen.

"You get out at one today because you have your new kid experience at Scottsdale." She replied.

Amy almost immediately regretted coming back to ask. She heaved a heavy groan and Marion just said, "You don't want to be late." With a big smile plastered across her face.

The "new kid experience" was a thing Scottsdale Prep called the experimental day where a kid who is coming to that school goes for two hours to survey their surroundings and get used to the school. Amy dreaded it from the beginning.

She never wanted to go to Scottsdale. Her parents said that it would be good for her. Amy even forgot why she considered it. _Maybe to obey my parents for once, maybe I want the thrill of a new school, or maybe..._ Amy was out of maybes. She had agreed and in the next semester she was going to Scottsdale Preparatory Academy so fondly known as SPA.

She unlocked her Lexus and slid into the comforting leather seat. The navigation system buzzed and directed her to school even though Amy knew the route already. She was just bout to pull into the campus when her pink Moto KRAZR started playing The Red Hot Chili Pepper's Snow ((Hey oh.)) Amy meant to change Soroya's ringtone to something a little more girly.

"Talk to me." She said as she pulled to the side of the road. Her parents always told her never to talk on her phone while driving after a close family friend had been killed in a scenario like that.

"Hello. Hi, Amy. It's Soroya. Where are you? There's something big happening at school! Just hurry!" With that, Soroya hung up and Amy heard the faint click of the line going off.

"Okay." Amy muttered to herself. She quickly merged into the road and pulled into the school parking lot. At the beginning of each year, everyone chose a parking spot and that was officially label "yours."

Amy's was a few rows away from the school in the middle next to a flashy black Hummer and Soraya's 2006 BMW 330.

She quickly gathered her stuff and jogged up to the entrance of the school. No one was there. Everyone had gone. Usually every morning, the front lawn of A. Lincoln High was buzzing with laughter and chatting. She raced to the only other place students could go before school which was the courtyard in the middle of the school.

As soon as she stepped through the front gates, you could hear the buzz of talking and high – pitched screams and laughter coming from the middle of the school. Amy navigated around trash cans, backpacks, and Coke cans that littered the floors. She saw almost at once a large, makeshift podium in the middle of the courtyard. Streamers hung decoratively around. Principal Frost, aka Mrs. Toad, because of all her warts, was standing in front of the podium announcing something.

Amy quickly stood up on a wall and found Soroya's dark head of hair amongst the sea of students. She ran to Soroya and asked, "What's going on?"

"Just watch." Soroya replied.

"...and that's why I'm here to say a very important thing. After all my years here at A. Lincoln, I have decided to... to, to retire!" Mrs. Toad finished in an exasperated voice. Cheering like you'd never believe erupted as if this was a football stadium during the Super Bowl!

"So," she began in a very formal tone, "let's party!" More screaming.

"Whoa! This is big." Amy said. **(A/n: I couldn't think of a very good big event to be happening, so make up one yourself!)**

Twenty minutes went by of pure enjoyment, and eventually, the noise and commotion died down. Everyone finally noticed Amy. She was really popular.

"Hey, Ames!" Everyone called. She acknowledged them with a nod of her head and a curt hello. She flicked her hair over her shoulder every minute or so and smiled – that was _her_ trademark.

As Amy sauntered down the hall, people moved out of her way and she just smiled. The day went by slowly and by lunch at twelve, Amy was anything but happy, or ready to go to SPA.

She was eating the pizza that Principal Frost had provided, when she just didn't feel hungry. She excused herself from the popular table. Soroya flashed her "Okay. I know. You can go," look. Amy stood up, dumped her plate, took a last swig of her Diet Coke, and just decided to walk around the campus. It was around twelve thirty.

She turned the corner and ran straight into a guy she didn't know. Apparently he didn't know her either, but everyone knew Amy, so he had to be new. "Sorry. My fault. I wasn't looking where I was going!" Amy apologized.

"Oh, no, yeah. I'm sorry." Then finally saying, "My name is Chris. I'm new."

"Oh. Hey! Yeah. I'm, I'm..." Amy got lost in his chocolate brown eyes. They were apologetic and curious at the same time. Amy thought that she was in a different world.

"Um, okay." Chris smiled.

"Oh! Sorry. Right, my name is Amy. Amy Fleming." She finally said. She ducked her head so that he couldn't see the blush creeping up her neck.

"Of the Heartland Flemings?" He asked. She nodded. "Cool. I'm Chris Wilson."

"No." Amy said, curious. This time he nodded. "Well, Mr. Jockey, I was going now. I've met a Wilson and you've met a Fleming. Good day, eh?"

He smiled an amazing, genuine smile. The Wilsons owed a chain of racing stables. Amy had heard of Chris before. What Lower East Side Virginian girl hasn't? He was the jockey for their top horse, Will Sins. Although at Chris's height of 6' 2", Will Sins was also very big and built at 17hh, which made them the perfect match. No surprise that he was gorgeous, too.

He was slightly built with broad shoulders. You could see his abs underneath his Volcom tee. His dirty blond hair fell across his forehead. His hair was long and wavy. He pushed it out of his eyes.

"Well, I have to, um, I have to get going." Amy repeated.

"Sorry. Right." Chris watched her turn her back, smiling and couldn't resist. "Hey, Amy," She turned around. He asked, "Hey. Do you want to, I don't know, catch a movie Friday night?" He braced himself for the refusal. He was new. He had only just gotten her name and society status for God's sake. She probably already even had a boyfriend.

Thankfully she smiled. A good sign was it not? "Yeah. Yeah, I'd love to catch a movie." Chris realized he had been holding his breath and let it out.

"Great. I'll pick you up at eight. Friday." He said. She nodded and smiled a great, true smile.

"Bye." She turned around and glided through the entrance gates, swiftly.

Chris was left standing there, dumbstruck. He had just spontaneously asked Amy out. He grinned and then went his way, trying to find fourth period Algebra III.

Amy had gone in circles by the time it was nearly one. She signed herself out at the school office and hopped in her Lexus. Her KRAZR vibrated and rang. She checked the caller ID, even though she knew who it was by the "Barbie Girl" ringtone: Soroya.

"Hey. I'm on my way to SPA." Amy said.

"Yeah. I thought so. But, I also thought that you were going to come back and say good bye after your walk. What happened?" Amy could hear the smile in her voice. Soroya knew Amy all too well.

"Yeah, okay. I'm guilty as charged. I ran into Chris Wilson. And-" Amy was interrupted. Soroya started squealing.

"Ah! I knew it! He just waltzed into class in the middle of Mrs. Dupree telling us about some theorem. I knew he had something to do with your absence! So tell me everything!" She finished.

"I just ran into him, literally. We were talking and then I say I have to go, he calls my name and asks me out. It was no big deal." Amy was blushing despite herself.

"Okay, well, I guess if it were no big deal... Ah! I'm helping you pick out something to wear!" Soroya screeched.

"Okay. Bye, bye, Soroya. I'm going to be late. I'll talk to you later. Bye." Soroya hung up and Amy started the engine. She pulled out of the parking lot and programmed her GPA to lead the way to SPA. She was just parking next to a blue Escalade EXT when her phone rung, again. It was her mom.

"I'm here, mom. Chill. I wouldn't ditch." Amy said.

"Okay. Good. Call me when it's over with. Amy, don't be sassy, okay? Don't act like you own the place. Be good, and don't wreck your chances of getting in. Okay?" Marion asked.

"Okay, mom. I wouldn't. I know how much this means to _you_. Bye." They hung up and Amy relaxed. "Another day, another adventure." She spoke quietly to herself. She slipped on her Dolce and Gabbana oversized sunglasses and inspected herself in the reflection of her car. She looked hot in her outfit from earlier. _Hopefully I'll make an impression._ She thought to herself with a smile.

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**How do you like it? REVIEW!!! Remember: if I don't get three reviws, I'm not updating. -Ally**


	3. AN: New Rule

Okay, there's going to be a new order with my stories. I'm not updating until I get reviews. I was going easy on you when I said I needed three reviews before I update. So, I'm now accepting Anonymous reviews; I didn't realize I had it set on signed reviews. If you want to see what happens next, you know what to do.

Kittygurl00-Tempest00 you are the best because you REVIEW!!!

Everyone who reviews is the best!!!

Ally.


	4. New School, new guy?

**Okay. So, I got good reviews! Continue that, and I'm not updating until my review box says ten reviews! This chapter is where Amy meets Ty. Okay? Good. R & R!!! -Ally**

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"Another day, another adventure." She spoke quietly to herself. She slipped on her Dolce and Gabbana oversized sunglasses and inspected herself in the reflection of her car. She looked hot in her outfit from earlier. _Hopefully I'll make an impression._ She thought to herself with a smile. 

She arched her back and gracefully strode through an immense gateway and smiled her famous smile. Some students passing through the halls noticed her, eyes wide. She sauntered purposefully into the administration office, sashaying her hips as she did so. Although her stance and physical attitude were high, her manners never let down.

"Hello. My name is Amy Fleming. I'm here for my new student evaluation." Amy said with a smile, her perfectly plucked eyebrows rose.

"Ah, yes. I'm Carol, the secretary here at SPA. Nice to meet you. Your light will shine brightly here." Carol smiled and then said, "I'm required to say that. Let's get you situated, shall we?"

Amy immediately felt herself warming up to Carol and the school. She smiled even bigger. "Kay." Amy said and Carol stood up from behind the desk.

"You will be in Current Events. That's the class that's the least awkward and you don't need to have any previous knowledge. Come with me." Carol walked to the door and Amy followed. _So far, I'm not eaten._ She thought with a grin.

_Knock, knock._ Carol knocked the mighty oak door marked with: Current Events. Mr. Valentino. 342. "Come in." Could be heard from inside. Amy plastered her best "this is my place, get used to it" smile while it was at the same time genuine.

"Welcome, Ms. Fleming." A man in his probably mid-forties said to Amy. At the mention of her last name, all heads turned to face on her. Amy was cool with it. It wasn't the first time. Her grey eyes flashed.

"Thank you." Amy gave a curt nod of her head.

"I'm sure everyone will be nice to you," He cast stern glances to the class, "my name is Mr. Valentino. You can sit there between Emma and Ty." He pointed to an empty seat. Amy flicked her hair over her shoulder and took her seat. The girl sitting on her right smiled.

"Hey, there. I'm Emma. I know how awkward it can be to do this, but you get over it. I'm sure you'd fit in if only you were wearing a uniform." She smiled. "That's Ty. You won't get much out of him." She finished pointing to a guy on her left.

"Thanks. I'm sure I'll learn to like it here." She saw Ty out of the corner of her eye. He was the only one who had not looked at her when her famous last name was announced. She was about to say hello when he stood up and walked to the other side of the class to take a seat. _So much for a nice guy. Maybe once I meet him I'll like him. _She thought, but highly doubted. _If he doesn't care about me, then the feelings go both ways._ She didn't even bother to cast a glance in his direction. He could be cute if he wanted, but he wasn't going to get away with being just rude!

"...So, there was an earthquake yesterday in, well, does anyone know where? Ms. Fleming, how about you?" Mr. Valentino asked.

Amy was caught totally off guard. Some of the other students were chuckling, including Ty. Amy wouldn't let him of all people laugh at her. "Of course, it was in Indonesia the strength was of 6.3 and the after shock was a 6.0, according to the Richter scale." Amy smiled an innocent smile and said matter-of-factly.

Mr. Valentino was taken aback. "Very, very good. Yes, that's correct." Amy shrugged. The bell rang, thankfully at that moment. "Okay, students, you are to do research on that earthquake and bring it in tomorrow!" Mr. Valentino called after the departing students.

Emma ran after Amy, whose long strides were hard to keep up with. Amy got at least one glance from every person out in the hallways. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and smiled. Even if this wasn't A. Lincoln, it was a start to climbing to the top.

"Hey, Amy!" Emma called, out of breath. Amy turned and nodded. "You did pretty well back there! You should have seen Ty's face! He was so shocked that you answered that question with such enthusiasm after being called off guard. You could actually survive until graduation!" Emma said.

Amy laughed, happy that she made Ty like that. "I think that I can do better than survive. I'm planning to end as a somebody. When Amy Fleming comes to school, she doesn't just wait for anyone, she goes to the top. And you can quote me on that." She smiled.

Emma giggled. "If you come here, I think that this will be a very good year. This'll be interesting." The two girls giggled. Just then, Ty walked out of the classroom. Amy finally noticed him, like, actually _noticed_ him, for the first time. Her heart did a little jump in her chest.

He was very tall, maybe 6' 5" or so. His broad shoulders graced his body. He had dark, dark brown hair that swept across his face and fell in front of his eyes and curled ever-so-slightly at the tips. He had a chiseled face and thin lips. The feature that surprised Amy the most were his elaborately emerald green eyes. They sparkled and shone. He wasn't too badly built, either. He had muscular biceps, and even though his untucked school polo was loose, you could see the outline of his six-pack.

Amy took in a sharp breath. Emma looked over to what she was watching. "Ty? You're not serious!" She exclaimed.

"Wha... what? No!" She hurried out before Emma got any suspicions.

"Okay," Emma said mischievously, "I guess when you come here; you wouldn't mind him, then. Kicker on the football team, racing heir, most popular senior in the school... " Emma's tone was very tempting.

"Oh, come on! He ignored me and sat on the other side of the room! That was rude! Do you think I'd like him after that? And, I'm a Junior, too!" Amy exclaimed.

"I guess not." Emma's once mischievous face fell, but she smiled. "Bye, Amy, I guess I'll see you around! This is my cell phone number." Emma called as she ran back to Amy and gave her a sliver of paper with writing on it.

"Oh. Thanks. Hold on. I'll write mine down." Amy scribbled her cell number on a piece of Heartland stationary and handed it to Emma. "Bye. I hope so, too! Don't get any ideas! See you!" Amy said, knowing that Emma knew full well what she meant.

She waved and walked back to her car. She was digging for her keys in her purse when the contents of it spilled on the ground. She picked them up and when she rose up, she knocked into someone. A muscular arm took a hold on her to steady her so she wouldn't fall.

"I'm sorry. I'm just a little clumsy today." Amy apologized. When she looked up to see who it was she saw Ty. She immediately turned cold.

"No problem. I'm Ty. Ty Baldwin." Amy realized that he was the heir to Baldwin Racing Stables. She didn't let his coolness or social status fool her.

"Hi. I'm Amy Fleming. It's nice to meet you." She said coldly and then rolled her eyes. She swore she saw Ty's eyes flicker with some kind of emotion, but then turn back to his emotionless, hard set face. He was the owner of the Escalade EXT. She turned to get into her car when he grasped her arm. She spun back around.

"Can you let go of me, please?" She asked.

"Listen, did I make you mad or anything? Did I used to date you or something? Do you like to hate me?" He asked. Amy shot backwards, his grip gone.

"No! I did not most certainly date you! I don't think I would after how rude you were!" She cried.

"What? Oh! God, I just moved away from you, don't take it as an offense!" He said.

"Well, I'm sorry for not requesting your presence. But, Mr. Baldwin, I have better things to do, so if I may?" She huffed.

"Fine. Just asking. One more thing. Will I ever see you again?" He smiled a fabulous smile. Amy wouldn't let it fool her.

"Yes. Now. Can I go?" She asked and actually found herself smiling and blushing. _I can not like this guy! He's rude and obnoxious. _He shook his head. She raided her eyebrows.

"Not until you let me insist to take you out on Saturday. Dinner?" He smiled again.

Amy smiled and looked down so that he couldn't catch her smile. He did, though. Then, she said the word that would change things from now on, "Sure." Little did Amy know she'd regret it. "I'd love to." They both smiled. "Bye." She said and climbed into her Lexus.

"Saturday. 7:30. I'll pick you up at... Heartland, is it?" He questioned. She nodded. "Bye, Amy."

She backed up, all the while; he was watching her, a smile gracing his lips. She drove home playing "With You" by Jessica Simpson, singing along.

_The real me is a southern girl with her Levis on and an open heart  
Wish I could save the world, like I was super girl  
The real me used to laugh all night lying in the grass just talking about love  
But lately I've been jaded life got so complicated _

She parked in her driveway and unlocked the front door, humming:

_I start thinking about it,  
I almost forgot what it was like  
To know what it feels like  
Cause with you  
I can let my hair down  
I can say anything crazy  
I know you'll catch me right before I hit the ground  
With nothing but a T-shirt on  
I never felt so beautiful  
Baby as I do now  
Now that I'm with you  
With you, with you, with you  
Now that I'm with you...

* * *

_

**So? How do you like it? Hmm? REVIEW!!! Remember, not updating until review box says ten reviews! You read it, you review it! -Ally**


	5. Two Guys With One Try

**Okay, so, I got my reviews, thank you very much. Tell me how you like this chapter. It's not very sizzling, but it's necessary, okay? Good. I'm expecting my review box to say fifteen reviews!!! R & R!!!!!**

**-Ally**

Disclaimer: Okay, it would be totally awesome to be Lauren Brooke, but, I wasn't gifted with that amazing twist of fate. The plot is mine, and all recognizable things, you guessed it, belong to Lauren Brooke and the Scholastic Company. Oh yeah, and the song "With You" by Jessica Simpson, is her record label's property.

* * *

**Recap:**

"_Not until you let me insist to take you out on Saturday. Dinner?" He smiled again._

_Amy smiled and looked down so that he couldn't catch her smile. He did, though. Then, she said the word that would change things from now on, "Sure." Little did Amy know she'd regret it. "I'd love to." They both smiled. "Bye." She said and climbed into her Lexus._

"_Saturday. 7:30. I'll pick you up at... Heartland, is it?" He questioned. She nodded. "Bye, Amy."_

_She backed up, all the while; he was watching her, a smile gracing his lips. She drove home playing "With You" by Jessica Simpson, singing along._

The real me is a southern girl with her Levis on and an open heart  
Wish I could save the world, like I was super girl  
The real me used to laugh all night lying in the grass just talking about love  
But lately I've been jaded life got so complicated

_She parked in her driveway and unlocked the front door, humming:_

I start thinking about it,  
I almost forgot what it was like  
To know what it feels like  
Cause with you  
I can let my hair down  
I can say anything crazy  
I know you'll catch me right before I hit the ground  
With nothing but a T-shirt on  
I never felt so beautiful  
Baby as I do now  
Now that I'm with you  
With you, with you, with you  
Now that I'm with you

_

* * *

_

"Hey, honey." Her mom said to her as she sashayed into the kitchen, still humming, and grabbed a bottle of water from her fridge.

"Hi, mom! Everything was great! I think I'm going to like Scottsdale." She said.

"Good." Marion said surprised.

"I'm going out to the barn after I change. Bye." Amy said as she took the stairs two at a time. She flung herself on her bed. Then, all of a sudden, she remembered! She was going on a date with Chris. _But Ty is just so much better..._ She thought. _No! I have to do this! Ty is Saturday. It's also not like either of them will ask to be my boyfriend._

Amy laughed at this idea. She changed into a pair of worn jeans and a teal Ralph Lauren polo that showed her midriff. She went out to the pasture to catch Face It; her stable name was Dillon, a dressage horse sent to be cured of her fear of whips. She decided just to evaluate her today. She got Dil's lead line from the third stable block tack room.

"Hey, girl." She said as she approached. Dil let out a low whicker form deep in her throat. She tacked her up and let her to a training ring near the house. It was just an evaluation, so there were no fancy moves or anything. After that was over, Amy gave her a rubdown. After Dil was settled back in her stall, Amy went to go get Storm for a trail ride.

Storm whinnied as soon as he caught sight of her. She grabbed a grooming kit and tacked him up in his stall. His mane and tail were still plaited from yesterday. She mounted in the yard and walked him to Clairdale Ridge. They rode along in silence until a bird flew in front of them and Storm shied away. Amy waited until he was calm enough to continue. Up ahead they saw a fallen log.

Storm pranced in place. Amy nudged him into a canter and aimed him for the log. Storm arched his neck and popped over it. Amy patted his neck and turned him back to head him home. After she gave him to the hands to take care of, she went into the house.

Dinner was yet again silent. No one bothered to ask Amy how her day at SPA had been. She walked into her room and sat Indian style on her bed.

She picked up her cell phone and dialed Soroya.

"Hello? Amy?" Soroya asked. This time Amy screamed with joy. "Amy, are you okay?" Soroya asked. "Did something happen?"

"Yes." Amy said simply.

"What?" Soroya eagerly asked. "Tell me!" She squealed.

"So, I went to SPA and..." Amy began.

"And what? Tell me!" Soroya screamed.

"If you gave me time to answer, then maybe you'd learn!" Amy replied.

"Sorry." Soroya squeaked.

"No problem. So, I went through it, made a friend named Emma, and then I saw Ty Baldwin! At first, I thought he was rude and obnoxious, and then we were outside, and he asked me to dinner! I said yes!" Amy cried.

"Yeah! Go Amy! Score one for you!" Soroya paused, "But, wait, what about Chris? You don't think he'll be a problem, do you? I mean, you're kind of going out with him, too." Soroya mentioned.

"Yeah. I was thinking about that, too. But it's just one date. It's not going to change anything. He's not going to ask me to go steady or anything! Come on! He's cute, but, I don't know! Help me!" Amy cried.

"Yeah. I guess that makes pretty good sense. Okay, Amy, I trust you on this one! I'm coming over on Friday right before your date to help you pick something out to wear to _both_ dates! Bye, Amy! I'll talk to you later!" Soroya said.

"See you! I'll give you full details tomorrow. Bye!" Amy said and they hung up. She began humming "With You" again:

_You speak and it's like a song  
And just like that all my walls come down  
It's like a private joke just meant for us to know  
I relate to you naturally  
Everybody else just fades away  
Sometimes it's hard to breathe  
Just knowing you found me_

Amy smiled and fumbled into her pajamas. _Maybe Scottsdale won't be so bad after all..._ She thought.

Once her Paul Frank PJs were on, she crawled into bed. "Mmm. I'm tired... It's been a long day..." She said before her eyes fluttered closed and she fell asleep.

The next day was Tuesday. Amy went to her bathroom and took a shower and did all of her morning bathroom stuff. She headed towards her walk-in closet and decided to go sleek today. _As if I wasn't sleek enough yesterday._ Amy laughed at that thought.

She pulled on a flowy multi-blue colored, flowered cami from Beachworks and white cargo short-shorts from A&F. She threw on a dark blue cropped jacket to complete the look. _But it's not quite done yet..._ Amy thought as she eyed everything in her room. She grabbed the vintage Louis Vitton jean purse from her vanity mirror, and crammed it with the essentials: lip-gloss, iPod, Dior glasses, KRAZR, LV wallet, and Orbit sweet-mint gum. After sliding into her Steve Madden blue peep-toe wedges, she was finally ready.

Almost as soon as she had made it down the staircase, Alex bombarded her with questions.

"Who's Chris? I only caught the first part of the conversation and I want to know what happened!" He screamed in her face.

"Alex! I can't believe you! Did you listen outside my door again last night? Why! You're such a little brat!" Amy equally voiced yelled. They fought with words until Lou came in and shouted even louder than Alex and Amy thought she was capable of, which stopped the two Fleming children in their tracks.

"Stop it. You're acting like five year olds. I'm trying to get my work done. We have got a new border coming, and I want to finish his paperwork before he gets here! Thank you." With that, Lou turned on her heel and marched off. Amy and Alex looked at each other with stunned faces.

They instantly began arguing in quieter voices. Marion came in, tore them apart and rolled her eyes. "Goodness. You are teenagers, and yet the odd immature fight still erupts in this household!" Marion pointed Amy to the kitchen and Alex out the door. They glared at each other before going their separate ways.

"I'm not hungry, mom." Amy said as her mother asked if she wanted her eggs hard or soft boiled.

"Okay." Marion compromised by pouring her a glass of orange juice and giving her a lightly spread bagel. Amy had finished her food and was heading out the door.

Amy hopped into her Lexus and drove to school. Once the car had started up, she drove over to school. She parked and went over to the front lawn which was crammed with students talking. Soroya waved Amy over.

"Hey. So tell me..." Soroya was cut short by Amy's phone ringing in the Motorolla theme ringtone. _That's odd. I have personalized ringtones set for everyone._ Amy glanced at the caller ID which said: Unknown.

Amy flipped open her cell and said, "Hello?"

A familiar, deep voice replied, "Hey, Amy. It's Ty."

Amy dropped the phone onto the grass. "What? What happened, Amy?" Soroya asked, but got no answer. The only way to find out would be to talk to the person themself.

"Hello." Soroya said.

"Um. Hi. Is Amy there? This is Ty Baldwin. Nice to meet you." Ty spoke.

"Oh. Hey. I'm Amy's best friend Soroya. The phone slipped from her hands. I'll give you back to her now." Soroya replied calmer than she was feeling. _This is _the _Ty Baldwin!_ She thought.

"Thanks."

"Amy. Phone. Now!" Amy obediently grasped the phone from Soroya's outstretched palm.

"Sorry. I was, um, jostled by someone else." Amy lied.

"It's okay." Ty replied.

"Hey, how did you get my number anyway. Not that I mind or anything..." Amy flirted.

"Emma gave it to me. She told me to tell you that you shouldn't be mad at her and it's all my fault. So." Ty said.

"So, _what?_" Amy asked. The distinct sound of a bell being rung could be heard on the other end of the line.

"Oh, Amy, I'm sorry. I've got to go. Are we still on for Saturday, though? Please say yes." Ty asked.

"Your on. Don't be late. Bye, Ty." Amy finished.

"I'll see you... later. Definitely." He finished. They hung up.

"Ah! So, what did he tell you? Spill it!" Soroya burst.

"Oh," Amy awoke from a daze, "just called to make sure that we were still on for Saturday. I said yes."

"Good! I'm so happy for you!" Soroya hugged Amy .

"What's so good to be happy about?" Came a voice.

"Chris! Oh, hey!" Amy called over to him. "Soroya, what do I do?" She whispered to Soroya.

"I'll cause a distra..." The bell rang and that was the perfect excuse for Amy to bustle off to class.

"Hey, Ames, wait!" Chris yelled after her.

Amy turned to face him for a brief second. "Sorry, Chris! I have to go to Life Science. Um, we're... dissecting frogs today," _Not a lie, actually, _"You know. I have to get a good frog and all. They're always taken. Bye!" Amy quickly sprinted into her Life Science biology class. The day passed by slowly and by the time the bell rang at 3 o' clock, Amy was a sea of relief.

Although, some people weren't. Chris ran all the way to catch up with Amy when she headed to her car. "Amy! Hey! Ames!" Chris panted.

Amy turned and knew she couldn't ignore this encounter after finding reasons to shoot off all day away from Chris. "Hmm?" She daintily questioned.

"Are you avoiding me? Because, don't blame me, but I feel that you are." He asked.

_Aw. He looks so cute when he's sad! _Amy momentarily thought. "Chris, nothing's wrong. But listen, I have to go. New border. See you. Please, Chris?" Amy begged.

Chris nodded. "Okay. Go heal some horses. Bye." Chris turned and walked to his black Hummer H3.

* * *

**So??? Okay, I need to see my review box saying FIFTEEN (count 'em!) reviews!!! If you read, you must review... I'm open to all suggestions to where the story should go. This chapter may not seem interesting, but it's necessary to make the story flow right. -Ally.**


	6. Illumination of Passion

**Hey, my readers! I'm happy with the reviews I got! Sixteen! Wow, you guys are blowing yourselves over for this! Just kidding. So, a lot of you said the last chapter was not interesting, ahem, ahem, but, like I said, it was a kind of join up chapter to make the story fit, and it was also when Amy has issues with Chris. I hope you like this chapter, because I have a feeling it's what you wanted all along... ahem, well, IT'S TRUE!!! Haha. Okay, I need to see my box saying twenty reviews, people. TWENTY-ONE REVIEWS!!! If you read it, you review it, just to let you know. Enjoy! -Ally**

* * *

Rewind:

_Although, some people weren't. Chris ran all the way to catch up with Amy when she headed to her car. "Amy! Hey! Ames!" Chris panted._

_Amy turned and knew she couldn't ignore this encounter after finding reasons to shoot off all day away from Chris. "Hmm?" She daintily questioned._

"_Are you avoiding me? Because, don't blame me, but I feel that you are." He asked._

_Aw. He looks so cute when he's sad! Amy momentarily thought. "Chris, nothing's wrong. But listen, I have to go. New border. See you. Please, Chris?" Amy begged._

_Chris nodded. "Okay. Go heal some horses. Bye." Chris turned and walked to his black Hummer H3._

* * *

Amy went home. The day had been stressful, but when she pulled into her circle driveway, she saw an unfamiliar Escalade, you know, the truck kind.

_Oh, great. Who wants to bother me today?_ Amy thought. She was tired; the day had not gone so well. In biology, the frog Amy eventually did choose had double the amounts of guts frog should have, well, at least from her perspective.

She stole a look at herself in the reflection of the car's shiny paint job. She could have totally passed for an Abercrombie model meets Rodeo Drive pop star.

Amy wanted to call Ty. She was looking around her purse for her cell when she opened the door. "Mom, there's some weird Escalade outside. I don't want to be bothered today. Can you tell that person to go away?" Amy called. She was digging around her purse when she crashed into someone.

A strong, muscular arm braced her so she wouldn't fall; make that a _familiar_, strong, muscled arm.

"Well, fine. I'll leave then." Came a deep voice hidden with a smile.

Amy wanted to hide. Her face blushed brick red. She tried to keep her cool. "Hey, Ty. What are you doing here? Sorry. I mean about bumping into you. It hasn't been my finest gracefulness these past couple of days. _Believe me._" Amy said, referring to her run in with Chris that he didn't know about.

"Oh, it's okay. But, you don't know?" Ty asked.

"Um, no." Amy replied.

"I'm boarding my horse Black Twilight, well, you can call him Dylan. You didn't know?" Ty said.

"Oh! Well, I knew that there was a new border, but, um, ha, we have two borders called Dylan now, and, I... do you want to go for a ride?" Amy blurted out to stop from blabbering.

He grinned and smiled. "Sure. No problem, but I won't be able to ride Dylan, though. Is that a problem?"

Amy shook her head. "Of course not! Let's go. I just have to get changed. You can go out to the barn if you want." Ty nodded when Amy was finished talking.

Amy walked up the stairs to her room and slipped into a pair of navy jodhpurs, and an Ed Hardy tank top to go underneath her pink Juicy jacket. She stepped into her paddock boots and zipped up her half chaps.

She sprinted to the barn. Ty was outside of Storm's stall. He turned to look at her and he couldn't look away. "Oh. Um. _Nice._ Horse, I mean, you have a nice horse!" Ty said.

"Yeah. This is Summer Storm. He's my horse. I love him to death. So, you can ride Passion. He's Alex's jumper. Here he is. Hey, kiddo." Amy scratched Passion under the chin.

"'Illumination of Passion.'" Ty read from the name plate. "He looks really nice."

"He is. I'll grab his tack. I'm going to ride my dad's horse His Highness. But I guess we call him Sammie. Be right back."

Amy got all the tack and the grooming kits and slung everything on and brought it to Ty who helped to disentangle her.

Passion was a 16.4 hand Thoroughbred mare that could jump five foot. She was a liver chestnut with a big, bold blaze down the middle of her forehead. Ty was swift tacking up and in no time, he was waiting for Amy to get Sammie.

Sammie was a slightly bigger built bay Warmblood stallion. He was one of Amy's dad's world champion horses back when Tim used to be one of the world's best show jumpers. Amy had no problem tacking him up.

She met Ty behind the barn. "We can warm-up in the ring and then head on the trails, or the opposite, or just go on the trails or just go in the ring?" Amy asked.

"Okay. We can go in the ring to warm-up and then hit the trails. I'm expecting a grand ride, because, this is _the_ Heartland." He smiled.

"Sure." Amy mounted and they rode to the biggest jumping arena. There was a series of twelve jumps already arranged at heights about three foot. "You first." She signaled to Ty who obliged willingly.

Amy watched in awe as he started in a walk, but somehow ended in a swift, sleek canter. Ty and Passion were a great team. He pointed her at the first bright blue staircase and Passion soared over it before Ty turned her to the water jump that they equally impressively jumped.

"Your good," Amy called, "but not good _enough_." Ty looked at her oddly.

Amy walked Sammie around once, but then pushed him into a graceful trot that was so smooth; Amy didn't even need to post. She then urged him into a graceful canter and aimed him towards the staircase. She could feel Sammie gather up beneath her and they flew over it as one. Amy whispered words of praise and then headed him to the water jump. Sammie snapped up his fore-feet and arched his neck and back as they got over it. Ty's clapping could be heard from the other side of the arena where he was cooling out Passion.

"Very well done, Amy. You must show a lot to get that kind of form. And Sammie trusts you loads. He'd jump from here to Mars and back for you. That's good, on your part, because judging by the way his eyes are shaped, he doesn't just give away his trust easily. You have to earn it." Ty caught Amy's awed look and replied, "Hey. You're not the only one who uses alternate techniques around here."

"Wow. You use them, too. How do they work on the race-horses? I'd love to hear all about it." Amy said, suddenly interested.

"I don't want to talk about that. Racing is all I get at home, so it's good to be here, away from it all. I'm lucky I got off with a break on Dyl being a jumper!" Ty exclaimed, referring to Black Twilight.

"Okay. As long as you tell me later. Let's hit the trails. I think that you're going to like this..." Amy began.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Ty asked and then urged Passion to walk ahead, out the ring in the direction of the trails.

"We're going up to the Mountain Valley trail. You'll see." Amy said as Ty passed her an odd glance. "Come on!"

Amy and Ty went to the direction of the trails. At first, the road was narrow, but not steep, so Amy led the way. Birds could be heard humming through the trees and the occasional squirrel popped up here and there. The trail widened and Ty took up his place next to Amy.

"This is really beautiful." He mentioned. Amy just nodded in reply. She was too enveloped in nature to break out of her trance, even _if_ Ty was there, too.

"Come on. Now this is the good part." Amy nudged Sammie into a canter as they turned the bend. Amy looked behind over her shoulder to see if Ty was getting it all. He could be seen turning the corner, and his face broke into a smile.

They were on top of the mountain, and you could see the whole view of Heartland, the horses grazing, stable hands bustling about; but you could also catch a glimpse of the town, with the mountains in the backdrop and the sun setting causing a magical affect. Over to the right was a water fall that trickled into a gushing stream.

"So?" Amy asked.

"W... whoa." Ty breathed.

"I come here to think a lot. It can really do a person good to have a thinking place, you know? I guess I sound silly." Amy stopped.

"No. It's great, Amy. I really think so." Ty glanced over at Amy and smiled.

Amy returned the favor and jumped off of Sammie. She signaled to Ty to follow her. They tied the reins around a tree trunk to let the horses graze. Ty came up behind Amy and took her hand. Amy merely smiled, didn't try to shake it off or anything.

She crept behind the waterfall, to uncover a cave behind it that had rays of sunlight beaming through the roof onto the sandy floor. Amy suddenly turned around and splashed water onto Ty. He flicked some onto her and it turned into a water fight. Eventually they calmed down and sat on the floor.

Amy sighed. Ty smiled. "What?" Amy asked. Ty stood up so Amy did, too. She curiously followed him to the back of the cave. He ran his finger over something, and Amy looked to see what it was.

_Amy. 1995._

Read a little engraving in the stone. "Oh, yeah! I did that when I was younger. I remember now."

Ty turned around and kissed her. Amy was caught off guard, but kissed him back. They broke apart when the need for that silly thing called oxygen became too big. Amy grinned along with Ty.

She followed wordlessly behind Ty back to the horses. They mounted again.

"After you, Madame." Ty said in a false French accent. Amy smiled and trotted ahead. Ty came up next to her and held her hand.

"Today was the best. I really did get the grand tour." Ty said after moments of silence.

"Yeah. It was..." Amy paused, "_magical._"

They ended up in the yard and Fred, a groom, came to help them. "We can handle it, Fred. Thank you." Amy said to Fred and he smiled and returned to what he was doing. Amy and Ty led Sammie and Passion to the first barn.

"Yeah, so, anyway, waffles." Ty said in reply to Amy's question about which food is his favorite when he's sick. They had been untacking and giving their horses a rubdown and now they were polishing the tack and assembling the bridles.

"My mom thinks I'm crazy because waffles have the same batter as pancakes, but, I don't know... it's a, a..." Ty began.

"Texture thing!" Amy and Ty said in unison.

"Exactly! Wow, I never thought I'd find anyone else who thought that too! I was beginning to lean towards that I was crazy." Ty laughed.

"Yeah. Yeah, I know what you mean." Amy replied.

Ty glanced at his watch after he had finished up assembling Passion's bridle. "Oh, my God! I have to go!"

"Oh. Okay, I'll walk you out." Amy followed Ty's even larger stride to his car.

"Amy, today has been the most fun I've had in weeks. I can't wait until Saturday, and I'll see you around when I come to check up on Dylan." Ty said as he hopped into his car.

But, then, he got out again. He wrapped Amy in a light, but passionate kiss, and then got back into his truck.

Amy giggled. "Yeah. I'll see you around." Ty closed the door and rolled down his window.

"Bye, Ames." He said as he started up the engine.

"Bye." Amy breathlessly replied. "Oh! You never told me what was wrong with Dylan..." But Ty had already descended down the circle drive...

* * *

**So? I need to know how you like in, guess, a REVIEW!!! Was it too rushed? Was it too slow? Am I pulling the dates with the guys out too slowly... well, actually, that, I can't change. I like it that way. It makes it more suspenseful. Hee hee. Okay, REVIEW!!! I need to see my box say 21 reviews! -Ally**


	7. You Just Can't Have It All

**Heyyy!!! Sorry I couldn't update sooner like you all wanted! For a while I couldn't upload my document, and then, I just couldn't get to my laptop to write this! Well, I know you've all been waiting, and I got all my reviews... and more! Tell me how you like-y with a review. Pletty please... ::batts eyelashes:: I need five reviews... 28! Ciao, Ally.**

Recap:

* * *

"_Amy, today has been the most fun I've had in weeks. I can't wait until Saturday, and I'll see you around when I come to check up on Dylan." Ty said as he hopped into his car. _

_But, then, he got out again. He wrapped Amy in a light, but passionate kiss, and then got back into his truck._

_Amy giggled. "Yeah. I'll see you around." Ty closed the door and rolled down his window._

"_Bye, Ames." He said as he started up the engine._

"_Bye." Amy breathlessly replied. "Oh! You never told me what was wrong with Dylan..." But Ty had already descended down the circle drive.

* * *

_

Amy ran into the house and picked up her cell from the dresser. She dialed Soroya.

"Ah!" Amy shrieked.

"Amy? What. What's going on?" Soroya gasped.

"He... we, I... I..." Amy began.

"What happened?" Soroya demanded.

"Ty... and I. We, he, we, he came and we hanged out together." Amy gulped some air.

"Hello? Amy. Are you there? Amy! I'm coming over. I'll be there in five minutes! See you!" Soroya hung up and grabbed her things before hopping into her BMW to get to Amy.

Five minutes later, Soroya burst into Amy's room and found her, doing something on her laptop, on the floor. Soroya peered over the top to see what she was working on. Amy was doing a Google Search:

_Tyler Baldwin – Baldwin Racing Heir_

was the topic. "Amy, what are you doing?" Soroya smiled as Amy looked up.

"He's amazing, Soroya!" Amy rolled onto her back. "He's sweet, kind, devoted to his horses, and, he understands the waffle theory!"

Soroya giggled. "Yeah. What more could you want in a guy? Understanding the waffle theory? Wow, that's big stuff!" Soroya teased.

Amy smiled. "I know! It's crazy, right?" They burst into a fit of giggles.

"So, tell me when he kissed you." Soroya asked.

Amy's eyes widened in shock. "Who _told you_ that he kissed me?" Amy said.

"So he _did_ kiss you? Oh, my, gosh, Amy! Tell me about it." Soroya exclaimed.

"Um, n... no," Amy began, "Yes! Okay! He did kiss me! Happy now? Oh, gosh, Soroya! He's the best! But, then, every time I think about him, I can't help thinking about Chris. What should I do?"

Soroya seemed to be thinking. She had her face scrunched up and Amy knew that she was concentrating hard on something if her face was like that. "So?" Amy asked.

"Hold on, hold on, Amy," Soroya started, "well, you'll just have to see which one you like best after your dates. Simple. Just dump whoever you don't like." Soroya seemed content with her ever-so-non-complicated answer. Amy stared at her in disbelief. "What?" Soroya asked.

"I can't _do_ that to them. What if they're both the best guys in the world? Do you have a plan for that?" Amy questioned.

Soroya shrugged. "That's pretty much it. Yeah, that'll work." Soroya said.

Amy fell back onto the floor again and Soroya lied down, too. It was silent for a few moments before Amy said, "Soroya, this is going to be one _long_ week." And sighed.

Soroya couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, Ames. But the outcome is going to be _ever-so-sweet_."

Amy rolled over and playfully punched Soroya on the arm. "That's a good point of the plan."

"Let's go out. Not riding or anything. I mean out as in the mall, lunch, something, Amy! You've been stuck in this house with the horses forever! When was the last time we hung out, hmm?" Soroya raised her eyebrows at a thoughtful Amy.

"Okay." Amy smiled. "Let's get changed." Soroya nodded and they headed for Amy's closet.

Amy pulled on a navy blue baby-doll mini-dress to go on top of mid knee length black leggings and topped it off with a black Juicy purse and Steve Madden navy flats. She just quickly tied her hair into a high ponytail and she was all ready.

Soroya and Amy shared all of each other's clothes, so it was no problem for Soroya to grab something of Amy's to wear out. She wore skinny Seven Jeans, and a halter top from Forever 21. She slipped a pair of slip-on Vans on her feet. After trying on different sunglasses, she chose the D&G ones Amy had worn to SPA. Soraya clutched her own purse from Dooney and Burke.

"I want to take the convertible, okay?" Amy asked.

"Of course!" Soroya chimed.

Along with having a Lexus, Amy also owned a Diamond Silver Metallic Mercedes Benz 2007 CLK63 AMG Cabriolet Convertible. It was her 'weekend' car, but was fun and flirty, so once in a while she took it to school to make the other kids jealous, but just a little.

Amy stalked downstairs with Soroya close by her side. She swung the keys from side to side as they walked to the garage in the back of the house, literally, a ten-car garage. _Beep, beep! _Went the dainty toot of the car unlocking. Amy slid into the black leather seat and ran her hands over the oak paneling. Soroya looked giddy with excitement as she sat down herself.

Amy turned to look at Soroya, her eyebrows raised. "Let's go?" Amy questioned.

"Definitely!" She replied.

Without a word, Amy started up the engine and shot down the driveway. Hey, they don't call it 0 to 60 in 3.2 seconds for nothing. Soroya pulled her hair out of its ponytail and let it fly in the wind.

"So where do you want to go? Mall or the movies, where, exactly did you have planned for us to go?" Amy asked as they sped down the highway.

"Um, I think we need some best friend shopping time!" Soroya said.

"Good, because, I need a Starbucks! I haven't had my coffee in days!" Amy and Soroya grinned at each other and Amy pulled into the exiting lane to get to The Lower East Side mall, the biggest mall in that part of Virginia.

"Whoo-hoo!" Soroya screamed as Amy turned a U-turn getting off the highway.

Amy pulled into a parking spot right by the entrance of the mall. She got out and dusted herself off. They began walking towards the entrance of the mall and once inside the air conditioned mall, Amy dragged Soroya to Starbucks.

Amy ordered a tall Caramel Macchiato while Soraya opted for a Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino. Amy paid and they left for the shops.

"Mm." Amy exclaimed after taking her first sip. "I feel so much better after I have my morning coffee!"

Soroya's curls bounced as she nodded approvingly. "First of all, Amy, it's, like, three forty-five, anyway. So, we start out with the first floor and work our way up?"

Amy nodded. "Yup, and then we can grab some lunch at that new Italian restaurant, Spumoni. I heard it is the best in town! But, I need to get some flip flops, so I need to hit Abercrombie first. They have those cute flip flops and so..." Amy stopped.

"Yeah, Amy. Amy, what is it, what happened?" Soroya asked. Amy blankly stared ahead and Soroya followed her gaze over to Chris standing outside Pac Sun with a group of guys. Soroya shrugged and then turned around where she noticed Amy was pointing. Ty! Ty was goofing off with some of his friends.

"Soroya!" Amy squeaked. Soroya suddenly realized.

"Ty _and _Chris are in the same place? Damn it, this is not good. Code Red, we have got to get out of here!" Soroya dragged Amy down behind a boutique of scarves.

"Excuse me, ladies, but if you're not going to buy anything, go away!" The sales woman standing at the register said to them.

"Right, sorry, we'll just, go!" Soroya said to her and grabbed Amy by the arm to the inside of Mimi's Maternity.

"Good going! Now, if they see me, they'll think I'm pregnant!" Amy stared firmly at Soroya when she spoke.

"Sorry, let's go to there!" Soroya said. Amy crept behind her to Macy's department store. They watched the two boys and their groups of other guys come too close to each other. If one of them stepped backwards, they would crash into each other and that would certainly be a mess if they got to talking.

"Soroya, there's one more problem. I think they might know each other! They're both racing heirs and jockeys!" Amy said but, immediately found her answer.

Ty was laughing with his buddies and Chris was talking to his group of guys. They both stepped backwards and hit each other. They turned around to apologize when both of their faces lit up. Amy needed to know what they were saying.

She tip toed behind a Wetzel's Pretzel's cart and got a good view and hearing of what they were discussing. Obviously they knew each other from the racing scene.

"Hey, Ty. What been going on a Baldwin Racing? Things good?" Chris asked.

"Yeah. Everything's been, just great! How about in Golden Valley? I bet that your top liner, Golden Essence, is in his best shape. I mean, he'd have to be to beat Antar." Ty grinned smugly.

"Yeah, well, we'll see. I heard your dad is into naming his horses in Arabic. What does 'Antar' mean? Loser, perhaps?" Chris equally grinned.

"No, actually it stands for Strong One, or Famous Warrior. Which ever one gets into your head as the name that's going to be _spread across papers_ as the winner of the Duplex Cup next weekend. Perdant should be your horse's name, because it means 'loser' in French, and I'm certain that Essence will be _behind_ Antar."

"No, _I'm_ sure that Essence should be in the winner's circle. We'll just see about that." Ty chuckled when Chris said this. "What's so funny, Baldwin?"

"Will you even have a girl on your arm to stand there with you to comfort you when we win?" Ty replied.

"No, the question is, _will you?_" Chris was satisfied with that remark.

"Yes, actually. And she'll be there in the winner's circle with me once Baldwin Racing takes on yet _another_ win from the Duplex and goes on to the Kentucky Derby." Ty said.

"Hmm. Nice goal." Chris stated.

"It's more than you can say." Ty raised his eyebrows in his trademark style. "But listen, dude, I got to go. Hope you find a lady. Nice talking to you. See you at the track!" Ty called while backing off to the entrance.

Amy saw Ty walk out of the mall and pull out his RAZR. He flipped through his speed dial and held the phone up to his ear. All of a sudden, Amy purse started vibrating and Lips of An Angel by Hinder began playing.

That was Ty's personalized ringtone.

She saw him pacing outside with the phone still next to his ear.

"Hey, Amy, isn't that... Ty's ringtone?" Soroya asked. Amy nodded. "And isn't Ty standing outside on his phone?" Amy nodded again. "And didn't he say he was going to take a girl to the race?" Amy nodded, yet again. "Amy, pick up the damn phone already!"

Amy's hand trembled as she unzipped her bag and looked at the screen of her phone, it certainly was Ty. The phone stopped ringing. Amy saw Ty standing outside looking defeated. Amy knew she was the girl he was planning to take to the Duplex Cup.

Next, her phone rang _again._ This time Dance, Dance by Fall Out Boy began blaring through the tiny phone. Amy groaned, that meant it was Chris when her phone chimed Dance, Dance. She just let it ring until it stopped.

She glanced over at Soroya who was looking bemusedly at her. "Soraya!" Amy felt herself whining.

"Looks like you're going to the race with _two_ hotties!" Soroya glanced at Amy's desperate face. "Fine! We'll figure this out! You just have to wait until your dates are over. That's all we can do."

Amy felt a little bit better and her phone rang with a text message. She decided it was safe to read those. Ty sent one:

**Hey, Ames. I have something to ask you so call me back, okay? Talk to you later. –Ty**

"Aw. That's sweet! He calls you by your puppy name, _Ames._" Soroya squealed as they got onto the elevator. Both boys had left and they thought that it was safe to shop now. Amy glared at Soroya.

"_Not_ helping!" Amy replied.

"Read Chris's text, Amy!" Soroya said.

"Okay. Hold on." Amy scrolled down in her inbox to read Chris's shorthand:

**Amy – need 2 talk. i hv 2 ask u sumin. ttyl, C.**

"Well, if you ask me..."

"I didn't ask." Amy said.

"Well, too bad. I think that Ty cares about you more to write in longhand, not scribble-y shorthand." Soroya replied.

"Scribble-y? It's a text, it has font, the _same_ font!" Amy exclaimed. "I need this adorable shirt from American Eagle. Turn here." Amy steered Soroya to the AE store which was playing Cascada's "Every Time We Touch."

"Yeah, well, Ty obviously cares more." Soroya said.

"_Right._" Amy said, "What do you think of this?" Amy held up a jean micro-mini skirt.

"Nah, it's too short. Wait until you're twenty-one and can go partying. Come on. I need you to see this." Soroya headed to the Juniors' section of Nordstrom's.

"You need something mysterious, sexy, something _black_ for your date." Soroya began.

"Oh, yeah! I forgot that I need something to wear to my dates!" Amy remembered.

After hours of searching, the duo found nothing, _nothing _to wear.

Just when they were going to give up, Soroya gasped. "How about _this _dress Amy"

"Oh. My. Gosh!" Amy exclaimed.

The dress was perfect. It was a wool shirt-dress, with dainty ruffles and buttons to make it girly. It was black, had a square neckline, and an empire waist. In the front were gathered pockets and short sleeves. The hem was trimmed with ruffles.

"Soroya, this is perfect! I need this." Amy glanced at the label, Juicy Couture. The price had been reduced from $298 to $224. The price really wasn't a problem, but she looked at it on instinct.

"Pair it with... um, these leggings and you'll be set! Just wear black Pumps or those black Steve Madden peep-toe heels and you'll be set!" Soroya looked excited.

Amy grabbed her things to buy and went to the register.

"Two-hundred, fifty-five dollars, hon." The sales woman said.

Amy handed the lady her American Express credit card to charge it.

After her dress had been bagged, Soroya decided that she was wiped and wanted to go back to Heartland. Amy agreed. It had been an awfully long day. They trudged to the parking lot and Amy's phone rang again, but this time, "Home on the Range" played, a sign that the call was from Heartland.

"I'm on my way home! Chillax!" Amy said as soon as she flipped the phone open.

"Hey, Amy! It's Alex. What's going on?" Alex's voice came through the receiver.

"Hey, Al. Why are you calling? Is anything wrong?" Amy asked, beginning to get worried.

"Well, kind of, yeah." Alex began.

"What's wrong, Alex?" Amy questioned.

"Oh, nothing big, there are just these two guys who keep calling and won't stop! It's getting really annoying, especially since Mom won't let me answer any of the calls. She insists on answering them herself because she knows I'll meddle."

"Oh, gosh! Can you put me on with Mom please, Alex? I need to talk to her." Amy asked.

"Sure hold on." The noise of Alex directing the conversation to the other line was able to be heard from Amy's side. She was sitting in the car now, and Soroya was checking out the dress Amy bought.

"Hey, Ames." Marion's voice was now on the other end.

"Hey, Mom. What's going on?" Amy asked.

"Um, Ty Baldwin and Chris Wilson. Does that ring a bell?" Marion asked.

"Actually, no, well, yes, but why are they calling? I have my suspicions..." Amy trailed off.

"What?" Marion asked.

"Well, Soroya and I went to the mall, and we saw them and they said they were going to need a girl on their arm during the Duplex Cup and..." Amy told her mom the full story.

"Yes, that's _exactly_ right. They keep asking for you to call back, or for me to put you on the line, or if you've told me that you're avoiding them! Amy, call each of these nice young men, and tell them the truth!" Marion said.

"Fine, okay... _oh, Mom!_" Amy whined.

"May _I_ suggest you begin with whoever is on your caller list first? Or Ty, whichever..." Amy could hear her mom's grin through her voice.

"Mom, this isn't helping. I'll be home in ten minutes. Oh, and, Mom, can you have the hands ready up Dylan, I want to take him for a test evaluation. Thanks. Bye." Amy said.

"But, but honey you can't..." Marion began, but Amy had already hung up.

"Okay. Well, now the dirty part, Soroya." Amy faced Soroya.

Soroya shielded the dress from Amy. "You can't get _this_ thing dirty, Ames."

Amy chuckled. "No, no, I mean the not fun dirty part. We aren't _actually_ going to get dirty!"

Soroya blushed. "Right, I knew that. Okay, no I didn't, but whatever!"

"Let's get home. I need to call the guys and tell them whatever they want to hear."

"Amy, you can't tell both boys that you can go to Duplex with them!" Soroya stated.

"And I'm not going to. Seatbelt, Soroya." Amy pointed to Soroya's unbuckled seatbelt as she started up the engine. "Come on!"

Amy began the engine and they drove at lightning speed on the highway and off in record time. They swerved into the drive way and Amy tossed her keys to a stable hand who would park it in the garage for her.

She opened the door and strutted in. "I'm home!" Amy hollered so that everyone in her huge house could hear. Marion just randomly came in a few moments later.

"God, we _really_ should get a dog. At least the dog would be happy when I get home!" Amy shouted, completely meaning what she said about the dog thing.

"Amy, chill out. I know you well enough to tell that you haven't called the guys yet, and so, how was the shopping?" Marion asked, looking up from a pile of mail.

"I found _the most_ adorable dress! So, Soroya and I are going to go upstairs, try it on and then call Ty and Chris." Amy said.

"Do the latter, first, Amy." Marion said with a stern tone.

"Fine, I will." Amy said.

"Go on. I'll need to talk to you later, okay?" Marion said.

"Oh, no, not _another_ person!" Amy grinned, "See you!"

They ran up to Amy's room and Soroya grabbed Amy's cell phone. "I'll choose who you call first!"

"No... oh, actually, sure." Amy said.

Soroya handed Amy the phone and Amy saw Ty's name on the caller list. "Okay, here I go!" Amy put the phone to her ear.

"Hey, Ames!" Ty's voice could be heard on the other end.

"Hi, Ty." Amy said unsteadily.

"What's up? Did you get my messages?" Ty asked.

"Um, no? My service is down. Yeah, my service is corrupted and I was out, um, getting it fixed..." Amy said.

"Oh, so cool. I was wondering if you wanted to go to the Duplex Cup with me...?" Ty asked.

_Crackle!_ Amy dropped her phone. It seriously then just sparked and dyed. "Oh my God!" Amy groaned.

"Hello?" Amy picked up her phone again even though she knew that Ty and her connection had been broken up. Amy groaned again. "Great! That's just _fabulous_!" Amy sarcastically said to Soroya who was trying to power up her phone again with no luck.

"It's okay. You can use my phone! Here!" Soroya reached into her DB bag and pulled out her A900M from Sprint.

"Thanks. Let me call Chris. Oh, gosh. Where did I put that piece of paper? Ah ha!" Amy grabbed a sliver of paper with Chris's number on it. She dialed it on Soroya's phone and it rang continuously.

She was considering hanging up when someone answered.

"Hello?" Chris asked.

"Hey, Chris, it's Amy." Amy squeaked.

"Amy! Hey, it's good to be talking to you! I needed to ask you something. Did you get my texts?" Chris asked.

"Um, no, my phone busted! It just cracked and I couldn't use it. Sorry. But, listen, Chris, I have to go, can I call you back later?" Amy looked over at Soroya who was watching alarmingly.

"Oh, well, I just needed to ask..."

"Oh, I _really_ need to go. I'm so sorry. I'll call you back tomorrow. My, erm, mom's calling me, and I'm _super_ tired. Bye." Amy said hurriedly.

"Okay. Bye, Amy." Chris sounded honestly hurt, but Amy couldn't do anything about it. She hung up and just stared blankly at the phone I her hands, as if she were expecting it to jump up and dance for her.

"Amy! What happened?" Soroya asked, waking Amy out of a daze.

"I have to choose. Now." Amy said quietly.

"Well, judging by the looks of it, you've chosen Ty!" Soroya looked at her disdainfully. Seeing the desperate look Amy gave her, Soroya turned back nto the concerned friend again, "It's okay. Amy, relax, it'll be fine."

"I hurt him. He thinks I'm avoiding him and that I don't like him. I'm a bad person!" Amy broke down and cried.

Soroya wrapped her arm around Amy. "Stop crying, Amy. Hush, hush. We'll figure this out."

"That's what you always say!" Amy wailed and then broke into fresh tears.

After a few minutes of crying, Amy grabbed Soroya's phone and punched in a number.

Soroya had no idea whether she was calling Ty or Chris, but it didn't matter, at least she had the courage to call one of them. Amy took in a deep breath and wiped away the remainder of her tears. "Hello?" She said in a shaky voice.

"Amy! Is everything okay? I lost touch with you. There was a big crack and you were gone." Ty said.

"Yeah. My phone busted up again. Never trust their guarantees!" Amy said in a more stable voice.

"Good, good... Hey, Amy?" Ty asked.

"Yeah?" Amy replied.

"I need to ask you if you, um, wanted to go to the Duplex Cup race with me. It's next Saturday and, I was wondering if you wanted to um, go?" Ty began.

"Oh, Ty." Amy said.

"If you don't want to go, I'd be fine with that, well, I mean, but... Okay, Amy, I really want you to come. And honestly, if you said no, it would break my heart, so I'm not really okay with you saying no, but if it's absolutely necessary, then whatever..." Ty said.

"Ty, I'd love to go." Amy said in one breath.

"Oh! Great, Amy! That's... whew. I'm relieved." Ty said.

Feeling that it was her right to meddle, Amy asked, "Oh, why? Did something happen?"

"Well, yeah. You've heard of Chris Wilson, right? Well, I saw him at the mall and I was planning on calling you right when I got home to ask you to come. He and I get to asking if we will have a girl there and I was hoping you would say yes, so I told him I would. I just didn't want to be lying." Ty said.

"Oh, yeah. I understand. So, anything new?" Amy asked.

"Well, my dad bought a new racer. He is really into this whole thing. It's stupid. He totally dished out way too much money for a horse that has the worst standings! He says that it'll even out the record for this other new horse that's a three time champion. He just doesn't get it sometimes." Ty said with disgust.

"It'll be fine. Your dad knows what he's doing. What is that now? At least _more_ than half a dozen Preakness wins? Hmm. I'd say you're not doing too shabby." Amy smiled even though Ty couldn't see it.

Amy observed Soroya examining a Gucci dress on the other side of her room, but Amy knew Soroya was listening intently to the conversation. Ty on the other end of the line was going over football plays, since he was the kicker of the school football team.

"I just, I just kind of miss the old times. The times when it wasn't that competitive, I was relaxed and happy and..." Ty began.

"You're not happy now?" Amy interrupted.

"Of course I am. Right. I am, _right_? Oh, god, Amy, I'm not happy. You're the best thing in my life so far." Ty said.

"Aw, thanks. But, you're only unhappy if you want to be. Make the best of it. And, come on, you are Ty Baldwin. Baldwin racing heir, that's like, a royal title to everyone in Virginia." Amy said.

"But, okay, I told Mr. Valentino my problems and he said, 'You may have it all, but it could be nothing.' That's, like, how it is, you know?" Ty mentioned.

"And my reply to that is 'Make the best out of what you've got, because you never know how long it will be around.'" Amy replied.

"You're right. Okay, I have to go. Dad wants me to see how the new horse runs. Wish me luck. And, Amy?" Ty asked.

"Yeah?" Amy responded.

"Thanks. Just thanks. I'll see you on Saturday. I can't come around to Heartland for the next week because of practices and runs and stuff. Bye." Ty said.

"Bye, Ty. And you're welcome. Just welcome." Amy replied with a grin.

* * *

**Okay, bad ending, I know, but I hate writing ending, because, well, I just do! I suck at it, so, bear with me! The reason, also, why I didn't update this, is because i just randomly wrote a story called Just Taking It As It Comes, and a demand to continue it has arisen, so, I've got that on my hands, too. Maybe you'll read it. (And review it) Ahem, ahem... So, I love all of you! -Ally**


	8. I Told You So

OMG!!!! I'm sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

oooooooooooooooooooooooooo sorry I haven't updated since March!!! My internet went down!!! Please forgive me! The good news is I can update more often becuase I wrote 88 pages of this story while my internet was down! You're welcome, and I'm sorry! Please review! I won't really be able to change anything up coming, because I've written everything, but... just please! I'm desperate! I appreciate it! -Ally.

_"Yeah?" Amy responded._

_"Thanks. Just thanks. I'll see you on Saturday. I can't come around to Heartland for the next week because of practices and runs and stuff. Bye." Ty said._

* * *

Soroya smiled. She knew what had happened. "Okay, Amy, I'm going to head home. I'm tired. Plus, it's late and you need to think about Mr. Love...s" Soroya said.

"The week better go by faster than I think it will, otherwise," Amy chagrined, "Until Friday, this is going to be a living hell."

Soroya smiled, "Bye, Ames. I need you to give me a ride tomorrow. My car needs some repair work. I'll call you." Soroya slipped out of the room.

"Bye!" Amy called after her. Amy didn't feel like having dinner that night. It had been a really long day. She took a nice, hot shower and drifted to sleep.

The rest of the week wasn't really that exciting. Amy bypassed Chris as much as possible without the mien of avoiding him. Although the look that Chris shot Amy every time she cut him short was heartbreaking, it was necessary.

Ty, as he promised, didn't come to Heartland to check up on Dylan. She screened his calls, too, along with Chris's. It just didn't _feel_ right to delete one person from your life and not do the same to the other.

On Thursday afternoon, right after Amy got home from school, about three thirty, she lay on her stomach on her bed, doing her American History homework. "Ugh! I don't get this! Who actually _cares_ who led Athens into its age of democracy... certainly not me!" Amy yelled at herself.

"Amy, dear, I said finish your homework and then you can go to the horses. The new border isn't coming for another hour! The rider is supposed to be a girl your age. Finish up. I really want you to meet her!" Marion called from downstairs, hearing Amy's outburst.

"Fine!" Amy muttered.

"Finished, I'm done!" Amy screamed as she shot down the stairs with her notebook just to prove to her mom that she _had_ completed the five page essay on the difference in the lives of Athenian and Spartan women.

"Good, good, Amy." Marion praised as her eyes quickly darted over the messy cursive/printed stapled papers.

Amy looked up expectantly at her mother. Marion smiled. "Go, Amy. Change and then meet Lou and me here in twenty minutes." Marion was _laughing_ at her!

Amy didn't care. She itched to groom a horse and breathe in the smell of the stables. "Thank you! Thank you!" Amy said hurriedly.

Although how excited Amy was to rocket to the stables, she also knew that she had to dress respectively for the new client. She changed into low sling rise black Ariat jodhpurs with a full seat. For her top, she decided to go a little different than usual, pulling on a loose fitting blue-and-pink-and-white-striped polo from Abercrombie under a baggy-but-cute light pink Heartland hooded sweatshirt with "Heartland" monogrammed in navy blue.

Satisfied, Amy jogged downstairs and pulled on her boots and half-chaps. Once out in the yard, Amy took in a deep breath.

"Mm, it's such a nice day to be in the stables." Amy said to herself while basking in the sunlight on her way to the fourth barn. This was the barn for all the other problem horses. Four doors down on the right was a small, feeble pony named Spartacus.

Spartacus was there because he lived with an elderly couple named Stan and Judy. Spartacus was cared for mainly by Judy. When Judy passed away last month, Stan could no longer take care of him and decided to send him to Heartland. Once arrived, Lou had noticed that he had a slight, non-life threatening, case of laminitis.

Since that discovery, Amy and Alex had made it a priority to exercise him lightly every other day. It was Amy's turn today, and she quickly snatched the lead rope from the tack room.

Spartacus just looked up when Amy crept into the stall, but his eyes were immediately filled with a glint of light. "Hey, boy." Amy said as she clipped on the rope to his halter.

Amy led him out into the open and they walked for ten or fifteen minutes around the yard. When Spartacus wanted to sniff something, Amy encouraged it. The sooner he got back into the swing of the outside world, the better.

Spartacus seemed to be tiring out, so Amy directed him back into "Barn Number Four." His hay net was waiting for him there and he munched it up eagerly. "Bye, Spartacus." Amy whispered as she slipped out of the stall.

Her mom had said to meet her in twenty minutes and the timing was perfect. She darted up to the house and Lou and Marion were talking in the kitchen. Once Marion spotted her, she smiled.

"Wow. You're actually dressed _civil_ today, Amy. Congratulations." Lou said.

"Gee, _thanks,_" Amy said sarcastically. "You don't look too bad yourself." Amy pointed at Lou's dirt-streaked Levi's and faded tee. Lou quickly stuck out her tongue at Amy.

"Okay. Time to get down to business, ladies," Marion began, "The new border is a Trakehner Thoroughbred cross stallion. His name is... mm, hold on." Marion said as she sifted through the pile of paperwork cluttering the kitchen counter.

"Ah ha, his name is Formal Obsession, often times called General, or Gen. Um, his sire is Formally Dark, and his dam is Weaker Obsession. He will be staying in barn three, stall number eighteen. I asked Don to Antibacterial it." Marion began.

"Okay, so, does he need any special food, any different brushing boots, splints, anything?" Lou questioned.

"That's important, but what about his discipline? If he's staying in barn three, he must have a field." Amy interrupted.

"Oh, right. Lou, write this down on a pad of paper. He takes three cups Power Performance, two scoops of Multi-V, one tablespoon of Body Boost, and a teaspoon of Workout Drainage. And his rider makes a special request that he gets half a chopped apple and carrot stirred in." Marion paused for a breath.

"But, mom, that's like giving a pro athlete a two dose of steroids!" Amy protested.

"Amy, when you see him at four-thirty, you'll see the impact of this on him. We must stick to this feeding plan for the first few weeks, and then we are righted to change it as we will." Marion looked into Amy's eyes. "Amy, I trust you to stay with this. Don't do anything silly, okay? When the time comes, I'll let you take this, but not until then."

"Yes, mom." Amy sighed, "I'll go with this _horrible_ feeding plan until otherwise noted."

"Good. That's my girl." Marion said. "He is a world champion in dressage. His rider and owner, the girl I was telling you about, is planning to go to the Olympics with him. Last year, he competed in the Grand Prix, but couldn't go as far as had hoped, straining his tendons in a competition the week before." Marion said.

"Oh, great! We'll see how great he really is." Amy enthused.

"Oh, _great_?" Lou asked. "He will probably be high strung and hard to handle."

"That's because you just see the profit of the face value, not the real thing inside your business." Amy shouted.

"Well, maybe that's because the 'face value' of your 'real horses' are what pay for those expensive Gucci things and dozens of Abercrombie bags you love so much!" Lou yelled back.

"Well, at least I have a life consisting of more than, eating, sleeping, drinking and being locked up in my office for the entire day until dinner is ready!" Amy replied with a smirk.

"I'd rather be a recluse than risk my life everyday being around problem horses that could rear up and lash out and kill me!" Lou countered.

"Oh, yeah? Life is all about taking risks, Lou. There are probably more risks being in your office that standing in a paddock with a problem horse. Just think, that letter opener could cut right through your finger. Whereas, that horse could look at me and just go contentedly sniffing the sand." Amy was getting tired of arguing with Lou so much. She just wanted it to stop, but she couldn't will herself to it.

Amy sagged her shoulders and pulled out a stool from under the bench. "I'm fed up, Lou. Just stop. Can we just, I don't know, stop fighting for a second?" Amy breathed in a deep breath and closed her eyes, regaining her breath.

"Yeah, okay." Lou replied grabbing a stool for herself, and lying back in the same position as Amy. Amy looked over and they smiled at each other.

Marion grinned. "I knew you two would grow up one day. But, for now, we have some work to do. Lou, can you finalize the paperwork, and Amy, go out to the barn and check that everything is finished with the stall. Make sure they have a space cleared for his tack in the tack room and all that."

Amy and Lou groaned in unison. Marion chuckled. "Get used to it, ladies. In a few months, your father and I won't be here to guide you in this. You'll have to figure it out yourselves. Get some practice now. Go on, shoo." Marion teased.

After getting out of the house, Lou and Amy trudged their separate ways. Lou got to her office and found a note taped outside her door. It read:

_Hey, Lou._

_Are you free tonight?_

_Say yes._

_-Scott._

Lou smiled. Scott was Heartland's vet and also Lou's boyfriend. She went into her office to call him and tell him yes. She found a bouquet of red roses on her desk.

"Oh, Scott!" Lou said to herself.

Meanwhile, Amy had gone to the barn to check up on the status of General's stall.

"Hello, Miss Fleming. I presume you are here to see how things are going with the stall?" A stable hand Amy recognized as Don said.

"Yeah. Thank you, Don. Is there a spot cleared for his tack?" Amy asked. Don nodded.

"Enough room for two saddles and two bridles, two cubbies for his accessories, a few hooks for helmets, lead lines, halters, etc. that the rider might want, and a rail to hang at least two saddle pads for drying." Don said.

"That's great. What about his feed schedule? Did you get a copy of that?" Amy questioned.

"Mm hmm. We have enough of that plan premixed for today and tomorrow. We'll have to order a new shipment after a month or two of him staying with us. There are four buckets marked as F.O. for"

"Formal Obsession, yes." Amy cut him off. "May I check the status of the stall?"

Slightly embarrassed by the interruption of his reply, Don answered, "Yes, yes you may."

Noticing the flush in his cheeks, Amy said, "Oh, sorry, Don. I didn't mean to be rude like that, sorry, it's just, General should be here in less than fifteen minutes and I need to set everything up. But, you know, it wouldn't be possible without your help."

"Thanks, Amy. That means a lot to me. Um, can you check the stall yourself; I need to help Fred with that new horse Dylan." Don said, looking a bit antsy.

"Oh, can I come with you on that? I haven't seen Dylan at all, yet." Amy asked.

"Oh, I don't think that would be a good idea! Well, catch you later!" Don shouted hurriedly as he ran out the barn.

Amy was puzzled at that. What could be so weird about Dylan that no one was willing to let her be there? Amy shrugged it off. She had more important priorities at this moment.

She came to the eighteenth stall. The metal framework was gleaming and the wood oak paneled half-door was bright in the gleaming sunshine from the sky light. A fresh bed of straw had been laid. The navy blue water bucket was full, and Amy knew well that it had been mixed with a few drops of Star of Bethlehem in case the horse was in shock of coming to a new place.

In the feed bucket were all different colors of the feeds General required. On top were four slices of apple and four of carrot. Amy shook her head in disbelief. _Wow. These feeds are going to kill this horse, and they know it. But, the apples and carrots are a sweet touch from an obviously caring rider._ Amy thought.

As Amy left the stall satisfied, she noticed the nameplate on the door.

Formal Obsession (General)

Owner: Danielle Blake

Contact Number: 1.804.863.9674

Rider: Danielle Blake

Contact Number: See Above

Vet: Scott Trewin

Vet's Number: 1.804.517.8972

Trainer: Amy Fleming

Trainer's Number: 1.804.876.0987

Amy saw her cell phone number on that board and smiled. _Hey, at least I'm being recognized._ She thought.

Her cell began to ring in Lou's ringtone which was "Undeniable" by Mat Kearney. That was just always the song that Amy liked for Lou even though it had nothing to do with her personality.

"Hey, Lou. Let me guess. I should go outside, make myself look presentable, and smile because the new border is here."

"Hey, you got it in the first try. See you, Ames." Lou teased.

Amy pulled off her sweatshirt, slung it over a chair in the tack room, and put on her best new-client-has-arrived smile.

A chrome Lincoln Navigator was just pulling up in the driveway. Attached to the back was a sleek, purple trailer. On the sides of the trailer were, in white, _Just a Touch Stables: Dressage, Jumping, Eventing... Equestrian._

Amy smiled at that motto. It didn't nearly match the excellence of Heartland's. Marion waved Amy over.

"Come here, Amy. I want you to meet the girl, Danielle." Marion said.

The man in the driver's seat stepped out. He looked about thirty with already thinning brown hair. He was short, wearing a baggy Stanford college sweatshirt and jeans.

Out of the passenger's seat came a girl. She looked about Amy's age, probably seventeen or eighteen. She had blond hair cut into a sleek, stylish bob. She was wearing, Amy noticed, the newest white Ariat breeches with show boots. Her top wasn't that formal, consisting of a simple, white polo, accessorized with a fanning, plaid Burberry scarf. Amy felt in her pocket for her own Chanel sunglasses to match up to the girl's Ray Ban aviators.

"Hi, I'm Danielle, well; I like to be called Danni. I'm happy to be at Heartland. I've heard so much about it. It was a perfect opportunity to board General here when he strained his tendons and became massively engulfed in his own self-pity, kind of. It's nice to meet you and I'm sure I'll get to know a lot." Danielle smiled.

Amy was mentally surprised for a moment. She knew that type: The girl, who pretends to be happy and polite, even puts on a fake smile with her effort, but Danni was actually genuine, the real thing. Amy couldn't help but smile.

"Hi, I'm Amy Fleming. The main 'healer', if that's what you'd call it, here. It's good to know that you're interested in the methods and training at Heartland. We train without force, but getting to know the horse and using natural instinctive elements that the horses would use in a herd situation." Amy said, stepping forward and holding out her hand which Danni shook willingly.

"I'm Marion. I spoke with you on the phone. While the hands unload him, tell us more about General." Marion said.

"You see, we are planning to go to the 2008 Olympics. We had been training massively before, and the week before the Grand Prix, he strained his tendons working in wet sand. I kind of feel that he's disappointed in not going, and sad that he let me down, which he didn't, he's a smart horse. He understands the importance of things, emotions. And, he doesn't put the heart into things anymore, as if, he thinks that it's all over and that was the end of the line. He's still the greatest dressage horse ever, but I don't get that spark. He'll do everything perfectly, but not with enthuse. Do you get it, sort of?" Danni looked concerned for the sake of her horse. Who wouldn't be?

"Yeah, I get it. You don't feel that connection and bond from before, and that was what made competing worthwhile. It's you and your horse riding together as a team, side-by-side." Amy said, understanding Danni.

"Exactly, that's it perfectly. I feel he could be more. But, listen, can we sit down, I'm tired from the ride over." Danni asked.

"Oh, yeah, sure, follow me. Amy led her through Barn One to "Amy's" office on the end of the stable block. It was called hers because Amy had taken on the task of redecorating it and it was very teenager-y.

Danni fell into the only beanbag chair in the corner. She sighed and looked Amy directly in the eyes. "There is hope that you can cure Gen, right?" She questioned seriously.

Amy returned that grave look, said, and meant it, "Of course there is."

Danni, in reply, laid back farther into the chair. A few minutes of silence passed and Don came into the office. "Oh, would you ladies like anything to drink? If not, Danni, General is ready for you to see now." He said.

The short man Amy had seen with Danni earlier came in beside Don. "Dan-Dan, we have to go soon, so come check up on Gen. Don has been showing me around, and, although I was skeptical before, Heartland, by the looks of it, is an excellent facility. I'm glad I gave in instead of taking Gen to that place, Greenbrier. Come on."

Amy was happy that they decided to come to Heartland, not Greenbrier, the stables that produced made, push-button ponies. They, unlike Heartland, treated their horses cruelly and unfairly. Amy glowed with that praise.

Danni said, "Guys, this is my manager slash whatever instructor Nick. Nick, this is Amy, Lou, and Marion. _And_, I told you never, never to call me Dan-Dan in public, or, for that matter, EVER!!!"

Amy stifled a giggle. Nick just came in and patted Danni's shoulder. Everyone knew that her anger towards Nick wasn't real. From the sounds of it, Nick had probably called Danni "Dan-Dan" in public many times before.

They defiled to the third barn, eighteenth stall, to General's stall. He gave a low, effortless whicker at the site of Danni, and she feebly smiled in return. Amy caught her first sighting of General.

He stood at about sixteen hands tall. He had a very powerful build and amazingly muscled hindquarters. His coat was a rich, dark chocolate brown and he had one, straight blaze down the middle of his forehead. There was no excess fat on his body, but you couldn't tell his rib-lines. Everything about him was toned and as he sniffed his surroundings and drank his water, you could tell the muscles rippling under his glossy coat.

Amy gasped. Danni caught her expression and smiled. "Yep, this is my boy, Gen," She began as she clapped him on the shoulder, "his feeding plan may seem like death on a silver platter, but he was bred for that kind of stuff. Scott even okayed it."

Amy was getting to like Danielle. They were very similar and obviously had the best intentions in mind for their horses. Amy knew that Danni had thought everything out and wasn't willing to chance with a horse's life on stake. Amy was the same way.

Amy decided to voice her thoughts and said, "I'm really happy that you thought to ask a vet. It's good to be really aware and open to the affects of your actions, and knowing how, and if to stop. Good for you."

"Thanks. That means a great deal to me. I always thought that I was more just a rider than making good of that gift. We're alike, you know." Danni pointed out.

"Yup, very. So, is there anything else to know about before you go? I know that you'll be coming back often, but for now, anything?" Amy asked.

"Well, I like for half an apple and carrot to be mixed in with his food, which I see you've got. He needs polo wraps if, and when, you jump him, of course. And, um, nothing... oh, yeah!" Danni reached into a duffel bag next to the stall door marked: D. V. B. and pulled out a Glad Tupperware bowl filled to the brim with some gooey, purple substance in it.

"This is General's rub-down balm. I read that lavender is good for relaxation, so my grandma mixes up a batch of this and it's very affective to soothe him after a long workout before bed. If you run out, tell me. It's my grandma's secret recipe, so I have to ask her to make more. I don't even know what's in it besides lavender and jasmine; and I know what it does. So, that's it!" Danni said daintily.

"Okay. That's cool. I'll definitely try it. That's a form of an alternate remedy, you know. You're healing at home, and you don't even know it!" Amy exclaimed.

"Great! Well, I'm going home with Nick, now. I have an apartment on Mansfield Street, just a few miles away. I have a car, so I'll visit. I'll be here on Saturday if that's okay? Probably I'll be here around one-ish. So?" Danni said.

"Okay. We have your number, and I'll call if anything happens. I love the nameplate, by the way." Amy said pointing to her name on the metal plaque.

"Yeah, I though that might be a nice touch. Bye, Amy, Lou, and Marion! See you on Saturday." Danni turned to General. "And I'll see _you_ soon. I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die." Danni murmured into General's mane.

She jogged down the barn to Nick who was tapping his foot waiting for her. "Nice girl." Marion said to Amy once Danni had disappeared down the drive. "Hate to say I told you so, but, it's true. You and Danni could be best friends."

Amy smiled and hugged her mom. "Mom, I told you so doesn't even cut it." They walked down the barn aisle together after Lou, too, disappeared to go call Scott about their date.

* * *

So? I know it might have nothing to do with Ty, but you have to stay with me. I've been steering off a little lately... trying to make life a little more interesting. Danni is based off a real girl I know, but Danni in the story has a little (um, well large) tweek. Lol. Review, please!

xoxo, Ally


	9. Unwrapping a Lie

**I didn't get as many reviews as I would have liked, so pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease review! I'm excited for this story and I have 80 pages already prewritten for the next million chapters. But, you'll only get to see them if you review! I hate to make threats, but I'm desperate. I hope you like it! -Ally**

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**Recap:**

_"Yeah, I though that might be a nice touch. Bye, Amy, Lou, and Marion! See you on Saturday." Danni turned to General. "And I'll see you soon. I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die." Danni murmured into General's mane._

_She jogged down the barn to Nick who was tapping his foot waiting for her. "Nice girl." Marion said to Amy once Danni had disappeared down the drive. "Hate to say I told you so, but, it's true. You and Danni could be best friends."_

* * *

After Marion had gone into the house to make some tea, Amy wanted to go into town. She knocked on Lou's office door. 

"Come in!" Came Lou's voice muffled by the wood paneling.

"Hi, Lou. Are you doing anything later? I was going into town and was wondering if you wanted to come or if you needed me to pick anything up." Amy said.

"Oh! That's great! Here, we need a refill of a lot of the herbal remedies, so if you could swing by Harriet's Horses for that, that would be great." Lou said, looking up from writing all the needed things.

"Cool." Amy looked over on the desk and saw the roses and the note from Scott. "So, I presume you won't be coming because of your date with Scott? Sorry, you can't come into town, I almost forgot about your date."

"You knew? That's good because..." Lou began.

"Of course! Who else has a copy key into your office? Scott came by and asked me to tape up the note and stick in the flowers. That's _so_ romantic!" Amy cooed.

"You helped? Thanks, Amy! Well, I was wondering if you could lend me something to wear." Lou asked.

"Oh, yeah, I would love to! What do you have in mind?" Amy said.

"How about that cherry red, calf length Marciano dress that you got from Paris, can I borrow that? And if I could borrow those red Christian Louboutin wedges that you wore to Club Red? That would be great. Thanks, Ames." Lou said, out of breath.

"No problem. Can you grab them yourself? And help yourself to whatever you want in my accessories. I have some cute red jewelry." Amy smiled.

"You're a life saver, Amy. Well, I'll see you later. If I left any remedies off the list that we need, just grab them. Bye." With that, Lou rushed out in a blur of her brown leather paddock boots and the outfit she had changed into for the new boarder.

Amy lightly waved and locked up the office for Lou. The only ever times Lou was absentminded was when it had anything to do with Scott. Amy knew that if Marion needed anything, she'd have one of the stable hands pick it up, so it was no use asking her. She quietly grabbed the keys to her Lexus from the hook in the kitchen.

"Amy Fleming, where are you going?" Marion's voice bounced off of the tile flooring through the hall.

"Oh, I was going to get some things for Lou from town. Also, I wanted to get some Willow, Pine, Red Chestnut, and more Agrimony, for General. I want to see if that will help with his self-pity." Amy said truthfully.

"Okay. Can you get me this? I was going to have Greg pick it up, but you're going, so why waste that opportunity. Get going." Marion handed her a piece of paper. Amy quickly stuffed it into her bag without looking at it.

"I will do, mom." Amy said and she parted from her mother and slipped on Betsey Johnson Almond Flats instead of her mucky boots.

"And, Amy," Marion called, watching her retreating back.

"Yeah, mom?" Amy asked.

"If you're going to wear those two-hundred dollar flats, you might want to change out of your breeches." Marion laughed.

Amy sheepishly smiled. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea. Can you pass me those jeans from the dry cleaning?" Amy asked.

Marion tossed her the skinny jeans from the pile of clothes delivered from the dry cleaners. Amy quickly changed. "Thanks, mom." Amy rushed out the door.

Amy slid into the leather seats and flipped on the radio. "Sugar We're Going Down" was playing by Fall Out Boy. She hummed along as she drove to the town.

The town was a small extension of the place where Amy lived. It had a bakery, a tack shop, a couple of old-lady boutiques, a grocery mart, a dentist/doctor combo, feed supply store, and other cute little shops. Amy parked right outside of Harriet's Horses: Tack and Feed.

Amy fingered the list of remedies that Lou had given her. The tinkling of a bell could be heard as Amy walked in. A starry-eyed woman smiled and approached Amy.

"Hi there, Harriet. How are you today?" Amy asked politely.

"Oh, I'm fine. Working keeps me energy up." Harriet replied in her unschooled English. "So, what can I do you for?"

"I need some herbal remedies; we're almost out of a lot of ours." Amy said.

"Oh, right this way, dear. I got a new shipment in this morning." Harriet bustled around Amy.

"Great. Well, I can take it from here, thanks." Amy smiled lightly.

"Not a problem. Call me when you're finished. I have a city gal over by the bridles. Says she wants to make one of those cool new bit purses herself. I asked her what kind of bit she had in mind and she said, 'What?' Goodness, I'll never get tired of the city folk. I'll talk to you later, dearest." Amy watched Harriet walk over to a tall lady with bleached blonde hair.

Amy grinned and turned her attention to the list. She read it slowly and carefully.

_Aspen_

_Centaury_

_Cherry Plum_

_Chicory_

_Crab Apple_

_Gentian_

_Heather_

_Holly_

_Honeysuckle_

_Larch_

_Mustard_

_Olive_

_Rescue Remedy/Cream_

_Rock Rose_

_Star of Bethlehem (x3)_

_Walnut_

_Wild Rose_

Amy picked up a shopping bag and carefully grasped each mixture and set it into her shopping bag, careful not to break any glasses. They needed extra amounts of the Star of Bethlehem for the water of the new boarders. When she had gotten all the remedies Lou asked for, Amy quickly grabbed Willow, Pine, Red Chestnut, and Agrimony. There was a sale on Vervain, which Amy knew Apollo could use, so she got that, too.

Just as she was about to tap Harriet on the shoulder to check out, Amy remembered the thing her mom wanted her to get.

"Excuse me, Harriet. But I was wondering if you could get this for me? My mom requested it." Amy pulled out the slip of paper and, without even a glance at it, she gave it to Harriet.

"Oh, of course." Harriet said. Once she had a chance to look over the paper, Amy thought she heard her gasp and murmur, "That must be _one_ horse for this.

"Thanks, Harriet. I think I'm ready to buy my stuff." Amy said when Harriet was heading over with the item in a bag.

"Okay, dearest. Will I'll do." Harriet replied in her broken English.

"Okay, so all the remedies, just the remedies, together costs $230, dear. And for the thing your mom wanted, an extra seventy. So $300 is your total." Harriet looked up and handed back the paper to Amy gravely.

Amy was curious, but she couldn't show her curiosity in the store then. She paid with three crisp hundred bills. Harriet helped her carry out her things to Amy's car. They hugged and Amy slipped into the front driver's seat. Without starting the car, she pulled out the piece of paper and turned it over:

_Horse: Black Twilight (Dylan)_

_Owner: Tyler Baldwin_

_Prescription: Two Shots 1mL each of Quick Sedatives_

_Directions: To be administered at every outburst. Max-twice/week_

_Vet: Scott Trewin_

X_Scott Trewin_

Amy couldn't believe it! Dylan needed sedatives! What could be so wrong with him that he could possibly need them maximum twice a week! How could no one tell her about it? She had to get to the bottom of this. That was probably the reason none of the stable hands would let her go near him.

Amy chagrinned and started up her car. She needed to ask her mom about this, but first, the stable hands could do some talking. On the ride home, Amy couldn't help but thinking what could be going on.

Amy left all the groceries in the car, but one single bag, and marched straight into the barn, even with her expensive flats on. All the hands that saw her turned and greeted her. Amy smiled, and when they all turned back to work, she grimaced.

"Okay, all the hands, to the upper tack room, NOW!" Amy shouted. The stable hands looked up peculiarly. "I _said_ all stable hands and people who work in the barn to gather up at the upper tack room, _NOW_!!!"

Almost immediately after a pause, all the hands put away their pitchforks and wheelbarrows and jogged up to the tack room. Amy didn't have to go to the other three barns to tell. She knew on their way up, the stable hands would tell each other.

She quietly walked up to the Upper Tack Room herself. The Upper Tack Room was the biggest tack room of them all in the third barn, where most of the borders were. Once she came within ear-shot of it, she could hear hushed murmuring going on.

She entered and all at once, the noise stopped. They all looked at her with criticizing eyes. Amy waved them off.

"Does anyone want to guess why I've called you here? Well, you could guess, but I bet none of you would get it right. But, any guesses?" Amy asked, raising her eyebrows.

One of the female hands, Linda, raised her hands. Amy pointed at her. "Well... um, I think it was because, we... because we did something wrong?" It came out more as a question than an answer.

Amy couldn't help but smiling at that answer. _Obviously_ they didn't do something to her liking. After calling on a few more wrong answers, Amy told them to put their hands down.

"Does anyone have something they want to tell me that is possibly a secret, hmm, maybe?" Amy asked. They just queerly stared at her again. Amy put her head in her hands.

She held out the sedative and asked the same question again. This time, a few people exchanged looks, but no one answered still. Amy sighed. She was really beginning to get angry.

She decided to go a bit more precise. "Who can tell me the pieces of the puzzle? Black Twilight, Quick Sedatives, this paper? First one who speaks, doesn't loose their job for keeping secrets from an employer." Amy felt a tad bit guilty from this threat, but it made her feel good to be in power of a situation that she didn't fully understand.

Almost all the stable hands' arms shot up. Amy was surprised, and disgusted, at how many people knew what she didn't.

She scoffed. _Wow. This is going to be _one _day._ She thought. She closed her eyes and randomly pointed at someone. When she opened her eyes to see who it was, it was Fred. He had always been cool. Why hadn't he told her?!

"Yes?" Amy asked him.

"Dylan is a jumper. He was brought to the Quentin race." Fred said.

Amy knew that race. It wasn't just a race; just outside the track were other arenas for jumping and dressage, and even a cross country course. She understood why Dylan would be brought there to compete while one of Mr. Baldwin's horses raced.

"And? What happened?" Amy questioned.

"There were three races, the Baldwin horse was entered in one. It was whoever won from the first two races up against each other in the third race. The Baldwin horse had won its race, being in the prime of its years." Fred said.

Amy couldn't piece the puzzle together. What did this have to do with Dylan? And the sedatives? What were they all about?

"Go on." Amy said in a shaky voice.

"So, there was a two hour interval between each race to give the competitors time to cool out. The Baldwins were goofing off and enjoying themselves because they had won. Tyler came over to congratulate them. Well, Mr. Baldwin had gotten drunk." Fred put on a disgusted look. "He said, 'Why don't we see how Dyl would look in a racing saddle?' Tyler thought it couldn't do any harm, so he obliged." Fred paused again.

_God, what's with these pauses? It's like drama and suspense in the form of speech... _Amy rolled her eyes.

She raised her eyebrows at him. "So? Can we get on with the story?"

"They fitted him with the racer's, hmm, I think his name was Frenchie, so, anyway, they fitted him with Frenchie's racing saddle. Frenchie was a jet black thoroughbred, and also looked exactly like Dylan, you know, Black Twilight is his show name. Anyway," Fred's voice became so low that Amy had to lean in to hear him, "The owner from the winner of the other race that French was competing against had ordered one of his, I guess, _henchmen, _to give French a shot of the illegal drug _Atrox Belua_. The idiot shot Dylan with the drug and it affected him." Fred's face fell.

"O_kay._ But, what does this drug do?" Amy asked. Fred shrugged. "Hal, what does this drug do?" Amy directed the question to someone she thought would know more about it, Hal, who used to work in the horse racing business.

Hal cleared his throat dramatically. Amy rolled her eyes. "The drug _Atrox Belua_ is very affective on ruining a horse's metal stability. The horse will freak out without a warning sign and that technically means that, well..." Hal trailed off.

"That that is the end?" Amy asked. "It can't be. That's BS." She said.

"Well, there is a cure, using herbal and modern medicine, so that's why he was sent here. But, the cure hasn't _exactly_ been proven as safe and completely effective. But, Mr. Baldwin has instructed us to do whatever to cure him, even if there is a major risk. Or a few..." Hal said.

"Dylan is worth at least seven figures. I can see why he needs the cure to be effective." Don piped in.

"It's not just that. Ty loves Dylan, and it was so stupid for Mr. Baldwin to get drunk. I mean, on a race day. That probably killed Dylan." Amy put her head in her hands. She glared at each of the stable hands in turn and said, "We are going to cure him. I owe that much."

The stable hands nodded diligently. "Good. I'm happy we had this talk. Thank you and you may go." Amy said after taking in a deep breath."

They fanned out and left. Amy sat on top of the window seat and sighed heavily. She rubbed her temples and thought. _I'm in _way_ over my head._ Amy thought. If her dad were here right now, he'd tell not to hesitate and face the problem head first. _Okay, I'll do that... tomorrow. _Amy knew it was bad to put off for tomorrow what could be done today; as they say.

* * *

**So? Be harsh. Seriously. I want you guys to tell me what to do. Also, I'm thinking of writing a new story and I want it to be totally Review based. So, like if you told me to make Ty go to Africa, I probably would. But, I need a storyline. Help??? Make it as out there as you want, because I'm like that. (Review) -Ally**


	10. Round One

**Hey! I wanted to get to this chapter, so I updated! i need 35 reviews bfore I update next! Sorry to threaten! Again, I need ideas for a new story, it'll be idealized by you guys, written by me! Pleeeese review this and my other story! -Ally**

**Diclaimer: Well, as much as it pains dramatic sigh me to write this, I do NOT own Heartland another dramatic sigh and you bloody hell bet if I did write it, Will wouldn't be there, but I do think he adds a certain trwist to the storys. I like those.**

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**Recap:**

_"It's not just that. Ty loves Dylan, and it was so stupid for Mr. Baldwin to get drunk. I mean, on a race day. That probably killed Dylan." Amy put her head in her hands. She glared at each of the stable hands in turn and said, "We are going to cure him. I owe that much."_

_The stable hands nodded diligently. "Good. I'm happy we had this talk. Thank you and you may go." Amy said after taking in a deep breath."_

_They fanned out and left. Amy sat on top of the window seat and sighed heavily. She rubbed her temples and thought. I'm in way over my head. Amy thought. If her dad were here right now, he'd tell not to hesitate and face the problem head first._ Okay, I'll do that... tomorrow

* * *

Amy hopped up and went to find her dad. _Where has he been lately?_ He hadn't shown up for dinner yesterday night, but Amy wasn't suspicious. It's just that she hadn't seen him around the barn like she usually did. 

"Mom?" Amy asked while knocking on her office door. "Where's dad?"

"He's in California." Marion replied, not even glancing up from her papers.

"California? Is he there to check out the new land you bought?" Amy asked.

"Yep, he'll be home Saturday night when you're out. But, listen, Amy, can you make dinner tonight? I let Helga go home, along with the chefs. I have a reception to go to at eight tonight; Lou won't be home, so it's just you and Alex. Can you handle that?" Marion asked.

"Yeah, mom, it's no problem. As long as I'm not _going_ to the social party, I'm happy." Amy remembered the time her mouth ached from smiling so much as a social event like that.

"Okay. You can even invite one of your friends over. But, remember, Soroya's in D.C. for the afternoon visiting her aunt. Oh, and Amy," Marion called to Amy as she turned to leave.

"What?" Amy spun around.

"Sunday evening we have a meeting with The Dandridges. They have a son who's a senior, Jesse, I think his name is. Don't book that day, okay?" Marion asked.

"Okay. Thanks, mom. Love you." Amy left.

Marion came slowly down the stairs draped in a pearl colored, silk gown from Oscar de la Renta. Her Manolo Blahniks clicked against the hardwood flooring. "Bye, kids. Be good." Marion called as she slipped a matching shawl around her shoulders.

"When have we ever not been...?" Amy began. "Don't answer that." She finished with a smile.

Amy tried her hardest with spaghetti and meatballs and it didn't taste too bad. She rewarded Alex with ice cream after dinner for not throwing up while eating.

"Hey, Al, I'm going to call Bridget and her boyfriend Eric to invite them over. **(a/n: I',m reading the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and I couldn't help but add this!)**What are you going to do?" Amy asked while scrolling through her caller ID.

"I'll just hang out upstairs and play some Guitar Hero on my Xbox 360. I'll see you." Alex bounded along the right wing hallway and into the game room where his Xbox 360 was.

Amy pressed the call button and could hear the line ring.

"Hello?" Bridget said.

"Hey, Bee, what's up?" Amy asked.

"Amy! I'm good how about with you. But, anyway, why are you calling?" Bridget was always one to get down to the point.

"Oh, my mom said I could invite someone over and so I thought that you and Eric could come over." Amy said. She remembered talking the same way when she would call a friend to sleepover in fifth grade.

"Um, sure, hold on, let me ask Eric. He's here now." Bridget could be heard murmuring... _Amy's, hang out, you and me and her._ "Hey, Amy, Eric says yeah. We'll be there in fifteen minutes. But, he's kind of tired from soccer all day, and I am too, so can we just, like, play pool and watch a movie?"

"Yeah. I'm tired, too. New boarder _and_ American History homework all in one day. I'm wiped." Amy teased.

"'Kay. We'll see you." Bridget hung up.

Bridget "Bee" was one of Amy's older friends. She was now twenty. Bridget's dad had a partnership with Heartland and Amy and Bridget got to know each other a lot. Bee was a soccer maniac, and so was her boyfriend Eric. They met at a soccer camp in Baja, Mexico the summer before Bridget turned sixteen. Eric was nice and cute and funny. He was also three years older than her. Amy never minded having him around.

Amy changed out of her polo and into a Powe[RED cut off tee shirt. She had got out the chips and soda and had cleaned up the in-home movie theater. Just as she gulped down a last sip of water, the door bell rang.

"Hey, Bee!" Amy hugged Bridget. "Hey, Eric. Whoa. You look toned. Soccer everyday?" Amy asked while giving him a hug.

"What else?" He laughed and put an arm around Bridget's waist.

"Okay. So, we brought the new 007 movie. I haven't seen it before and Di says it's a great movie, although Bond isn't as cute as he used to be." Bridget said.

"Well, you don't have to worry about that." Eric grabbed the movie from her and a bowl of Kettle Korn from the counter top. "Come on." Bridget rolled her eyes.

Bridget grabbed the Coke and Sprite and a bag of Doritos, and Amy carried in the Lays and the Cheetos. Eric handed Amy the movie and she popped it into the projector. Eric and Bridget snuggled up and Amy pulled a quilt over her jeans.

Fifteen minutes into the movie, Alex came in. Amy patted a spot next to her and he slid in. By the end of the movie, Bridget was asleep on Eric's shoulder. He carried her out and thanked Amy.

"She had a tournament game today. I can see why she's tired. Thanks, Amy. I'll tell Bee to call you." He hugged her with the remaining hand and left with Bridget and the movie.

"Bye, Eric." Amy called after him as he slipped Bridget into the passenger seat of his BMW X5.

Amy glanced at the clock: _9:30. _There was still time to go out to the barn. Alex was in bed, and Amy snuck out. The cold air felt crisp and it sent an icy chill through her body. She crept back into the house and got a scarf.

_Maybe I should go see Dylan. _Amy thought. _No, I'll deal with that tomorrow._ She went into General's barn.

The horses looked up from they're late night awakening; it was long past they had been put to bed. _Just a glance at Gen. _She silently spoke.

She looked into the darkness and her eyes adjusted. The upper half of the half door had been secured in, but Amy could still see him through the vertical metal bars.

General had his head down, almost touching the straw bedding. He fidgeted massively after every breath. A couple of times he even threw his head up, yet, he was still asleep.

Amy glanced at his feed bucket. All empty. Amy quickly unfastened the bolt and slid in. She felt his heart: _a little fast, but not life-threatening_. His breathing seemed to be okay, but the fidgeting and head shaking seemed a little odd.

Amy had read about this before. She let herself out and jogged to the tack room. An article of a magazine raced through her mind. She found it in a copy of _Vet Set: Horses_. The snipped of the article that Amy needed read:

**Does your horse have a tendency to move around a lot while sleeping?**

**You know he's asleep, but what's all the head-throwing for?**

**Your horse could be experiencing **_Caput Capitis Infirmo._

**This happens when the horse has too much energy left over from the day; he must get this out somehow.**

**So, at night, he will show symptoms like shaking of the head, throwing up the head, fidgeting, twitching, and if you check his heart-rate, it will be slightly faster than usual.**

**The only way to cure this is to take away the thing that is causing him so much extra energy. **

**His food may be the problem, or if he is a rambunctious horse, and has been locked up all day, he has energy to spare. **

**Change his feed-plan, let him roam out doors, do anything you can thing of to collapse all that extra energy.**

**Watch **_Vet Set: Horses_** on RFD at seven p.m. nightly. **

Amy knew it must have something to do with his killer feed plan! Then, she remembered that Don said they had some already mixed up for tomorrow. Breaking her promise to her mom, she turned into the feed room and saw his buckets filled with grains.

She poured the bucket out on the chopping table covered with wax paper. She took a quarter of each of the servings of his regular food and added in Marion's recipe for jittery horses: Ramfaw mush at the bottom.

The name Ramfaw came from all the ingredients in it. Amy also poured in a quarter cup of natural herb pills. They looked exactly like the Body Boost caplets.

Satisfied, she added two drops of Red Chestnut and Crab Apple just to cleanse out the unwanted energy. She shook around the bucket a little just to make it appear normal. Once happy with that, she did the same to the rest of General's pre-made feeds. She planned to sneak in every night and change the feed if she had to.

Amy walked up to the house and collapsed into sleep on the L-shaped sofa without even changing into her pajamas.

At school there was a teacher meeting day, which meant no school. Amy used those extra hours to sleep in. Even though she got more than nine hours sleep usually every night, horses were a big job and, so, she accepted sleep graciously.

After wakening at about twelve, Amy changed into a bikini and picked up her cell phone. She dialed Soroya who should have gotten back from D.C. a couple hours earlier.

"Soroya, do you want to go for a swim? I need a little down time." Amy said.

"Yeah, sure. Visiting my grandparents was so boring. I mean, I love them to death, but the only thing my grandpa likes to watch on TV is All My Children. And they live, like, in the middle of nowhere in D.C. There's the White House. Why couldn't we have gone there?" Soroya complained.

"Meet me in ten?" Amy asked, laughing at Soroya's rants.

"You bet." Soroya said before a faint click could be heard and Amy hung up the phone.

Amy went outside and turned on the Jacuzzi heater. She felt the temperature of the pool and thought it as okay. Soroya came in time and met Amy in the kitchen.

"Hey, Amy. What happened to all the chips?" Soroya asked, searching through the cupboards.

"Bee and Eric came over last night when Mom went out. What can I say? Eric loves his Kettle Korn." Amy and Soroya laughed. Soroya wasn't really good friends with Bridget and Eric, but they got along nicely.

Amy and Soroya sat on the pool chairs outside. Soroya seemed to be miles away. Amy realized why.

"I'll jump in if you do." Amy turned to face Soroya who was looking longingly out at the pool. Soroya smiled and nodded. "Go!" They landed in with a splash.

Amy rose to the surface and flipped her hair back. She sighed. "That was just what I needed." Soroya signaled her to sit on the steps with her.

They swam races and relaxed on top of floating chairs. As they were sitting in the Jacuzzi talking abut Soroya's trip, Amy looked at the clock above the pool house: _4:00_.

That gave them three and a half hours to get ready for the date. Amy and Soroya laid out they're towels and tried to get a tan. It was around five when Soroya announced, "I'm about as prune-y as a raisin, so, let's go, Amy."

Amy and Soroya hung their towels on the heated metal dryers and went inside. Soroya pulled on a knee-length Calvin Kline skirt, and left her O' Neil bikini on.

Amy slid into an eyelet summer breezy dress. "Well, you need an hour and a half to get ready, so we have half an hour to kill. Let's play pool." Soroya said.

Amy was solids and Soroya stripes, and Amy creamed Soroya. She did have the home court advantage... well, sort of.

"Amy. Time to get ready, Amy!" Soroya ran up the right side of the double stair-case and straight into Amy's room. Although she couldn't see it, Amy knew she probably ran straight into her closet.

Soroya couldn't stop fidgeting as Amy tried on the dress with the leggings and the heels for the first time. "Omigosh!" Soroya screamed when she saw Amy. Amy sashayed and twirled.

"Well, if the glove fits, wear it!" Amy declared. The dress did look absolutely stunning on her.

"It's time for make-up and hair." Soroya ordered Amy into a swivel chair in front of Amy's vanity mirror. Soroya attacked her with a curling iron and when she was finished, Amy looked at herself in the mirror.

The curls were free and bouncy, not over doing it; they framed her face and drew attention to her cheeks. Amy's hair looked like a more relaxed version of Farrah Fawcett, well, maybe that was over doing it. Her hair wasn't as wild and out there as that. More like Michelle Trachtenberg in the article "What's your Curled Style?" of _Seventeen Magazine._

Soroya swiveled her around again and applied light make up. A little, thin line of eyeliner above her eyes and smoky, gray-opaque-blue eye shadow brought out her gray eyes. Soroya swept a blush-brush across her cheek bones. After a smooth touch of mascara, Soroya put on Hebe shade lipstick and a hint of Marzipan Estee Lauder lip gloss over that to make it shine.

Amy turned to look at herself as Soroya snapped on a gold chain Chanel necklace around her neck and a black-with-white polka dots Chanel barrette. "Amy, you look _stunning._" Soroya said to Amy.

"I know, right!" Amy teased. Amy glanced at her Police Belle Glamour Watch to the time, which was nearing eight o'clock.

"One last final touch..." Soroya's voice drifted away as she searched Amy's vanity for something. She held out a perfume bottle of Hermès' 24 Faubourg, an expensive perfume, and Amy's favorite. It had to be flown in from New York especially. But, she didn't get it that often. Soroya sprayed a spritz of the rose, iris, and orange flower-smelling perfume.

Amy's nails, which Soroya had pained black to match the dress, were wet when Amy's phone rang "Dance, Dance."

"Hello?" Amy asked, holding the phone in an awkward position so her nails wouldn't ruin.

"Hey, Amy, I'll be there in five minutes. I go off the freeway on exit 22, right?" He asked.

"Chris, you don't now you're way around Virginia...? Oh, right, you just moved to this county. Yep, you exit on the 22nd exit. See you." Amy said and hung up.

"That was him. He'll be here in five minutes, if he doesn't get lost..." Amy said.

"Well, hopefully he carries a Thomas Guide." Soroya said and she and Amy laughed, because they didn't make Thomas Guides in this section of the United States.

About fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang and took a while to reach Amy's room. "That's him!" Soroya screeched.

Amy positioned herself at the top of the right side of the double staircase and told Lucy, the housekeeper, to open it. Amy smiled as she saw Chris' look of surprise when he saw it was Lucy opening the door, not Amy.

"I'm up here." Amy called. Chris looked up and smiled.

"You look great." Chris said.

"Thanks." Amy blushed.

"Sorry I'm a little off schedule, I got lost and exited at the wrong time. Plus, it's easy to get lost around _here_." Chris motioned to Heartland.

Amy smiled. "You like?" She asked.

He nodded. "Impressive. Well, of course, not as great as _my_ place, but, you know, it's okay for _you._" He teased.

"That's nice." Amy said sarcastically.

"So, you ready to go? I have something nice planned for us." He said.

"Oh, really?" Amy asked.

"Really." He replied.

She grabbed her coat and tucked her scarf into her LV purse, just incase she'd need it.

As they walked out the door, Don came running towards them. "Ms. Fleming, we need you!" He called, out of breath.

"What?" She asked.

"General is acting up; I think something must be wrong." He said.

"Uh oh..." She said, knowing what the problem would be. "Come on, Chris." She dragged him off to barn three. "Sorry, but I have to handle this. Oh, my shoes!" She cried. "Never mind, horses come first." She said to herself.

She came up to his stall and watched him prancing about. "Well, if this happened to one of our horses, it would probably be from a change of feed rapidly. Like, you know, not gradually adding and taking different feeds, but adding and taking all at once." Chris said. Amy wished right now that he hadn't had said that.

"Um, look, he's just prancing because he's happy, we'll see how this progresses, and when I come home, we'll see what has happened, okay? Fair deal? Great! Bye. Come on, Chris." Amy dragged Chris to his car.

"Whoa, Amy, hold up. Did something happen?" He asked.

"No, just, um, his owner said that, um, something like that might happen and a vet's, erm, checked him out already and said there's, um, nothing wrong." Amy said.

"Well, if you say so..." He ran a hand through his dirty blond, wavy hair.

_God, he looks great when he does that._ Amy thought and shook her head as if to clear the thought.

"Come on." Chris slipped his hand through hers and led her to his car, a vintage Bentley.

"Your car?" Amy asked, curious.

"It's my dad's. I only get to take it out about every time Halley's Comet flies, so good for us." He joked.

He opened the passenger door for her and she sat down. He ran around the back and slid in himself. He turned the radio up and Amy glanced at his profile. He caught her in the corner of his eye.

"What? Is there something on my face?" He asked, wiping off his mouth.

Amy smiled comically and shook her head. "So, where, exactly are we going?" She asked.

"You'll see soon enough." He said and slyly smiled.

Amy pretended to pout, but when Shiny Toy Guns' song, "You Are the One" came on, she couldn't resist singing along, and Chris joined in.

After about ten minutes of driving. Amy asked, "Are we, like, going to Tennessee, or something? Because this is taking an awfully long time. You should know now that I'm not very patient."

"I'm the same way. I totally understand, but hold on just a couple more minutes." He said.

He clicked on his right blinker and turned into a branching road. A big, wrought iron gate could be seen as an archway and he pulled up to one of those small boxes with buttons to call a resident. He pressed button number three and the gates swung open with a monotone groan.

They went up at a slight angle and finally Amy saw it. A great big Spanish-styled mission building glittered with those Christmas-like lights that you hang up, except these were all just plain yellow-whitish bulbs. They were on a promontory. But, Amy looked to the east and saw an amazing view: glistening water, bright against the sunset. Gulls were flying in the distance and two male surfers were checking out the waves.

Amy cast a glance at the surfers. One of them looked about ten or eleven. The other guy was probably about eighteen, Amy guessed. He was helping the littler guy onto his surf board.

"Hold on a second, Amy." Chris broke her out of her thoughts.

"Okay." She said, and turned back to the surfer dudes.

The older boy had blondish-light brown hair and square shoulders. And, _phew,_ did he look _hot_ in that wet suit. Amy watched him, apparently showing an example to the other boy, paddle out to sea and turn around. Amy kept watching him and he caught her eye. Amy desperately wanted to turn away, but she locked eye contact with him. He smiled. _A great, sexy smile..._ The younger boy turned to sea what he was looking at and rolled his eyes. They kept watching each other for a while. All of a sudden, the wave he had been waiting for came and washed him off his board. He had been too preoccupied looking at her to notice it. The younger guy got off his board and helped him out. That had broken the contact between Amy and the mysterious guy. Amy looked at the ground.

_Note to self: get the address here and find out who that guy is._ Amy thought. A tap on her shoulder surprised her and she squeaked a small, high-pitched scream. "Oh, sorry." She said, blushing, to Chris who had come over.

"No problem. Out table is ready." He said he walked up a dirt path and indicated for her to follow. A small iron table for two was set up near the edge of the cliff.

"This is amazing." She said, and meant it.

"Yeah, well, this is our beach-front house. I like it up here. It's great for a break on the weekends." Chris said.

"Yeah, well," Amy teased, "my favorite thinking house is my house in Aspen."

"We have one up there." He said, and was totally serious.

A short, lean waiter came up and said, "Master Wilson, Missus, your menus." He bowed out. Amy quickly skimmed the menu and chose a Fillet Salmon salad. Chris had a roast pork chop. The mien was dense and awkward. Occasionally Chris or Amy would say something and they would start a short conversation or laugh a bit. By the time Amy was full, the air was crisply cold and stung Amy's eyes as they walked along the boundary of the cliff.

"Well, Amy, I think we should get you home." Chris announced.

Amy smiled and nodded. "I had a great time."

"Me too, it was fun. I got to know you a lot better." He said.

On the ride back, Amy ran the daily events over in her head. _No chemistry. We could be great friends, but I don't feel anything..._

"We're here." Chris said. He came around and helped her out.

"Well, um... thanks, Chris. I had a great time and you're a great guy, but, I, I don't... you know?" She asked, hoping he'd understand.

He nodded. "Yeah. Friends?" He held out his hand. _Cheesy._ Amy hugged him.

"Yeah. And I know, out there, is some girl who will love you. Bye, Chris, and, well, you know what they say: 'You'll never know until you've tried.'" Amy said.

"We gave it a shot and, well, thanks, Amy. I'll see you on Monday." Chris headed back to his car and they waved as he drove down the driveway.

Amy was glad it all worked out. Goodness, she didn't know what she would've done if it hadn't. And, this took off one more of her burdens, _the race._ Now she knew who she was going with and there were no conflicting dramas. She went to her room, knowing Soroya would be waiting, pretending to be all nonchalant, but really bubbling with questions since seeing the come home.

She flung open the door and Soroya ran at her. "OMIGOSH! What happened?!" She screamed.

* * *

**Just so you know, ending it with Soroya opening the door screaming OMIGOSH!, nothing bad happened to Amy. Soroya was jsut excited to know what happenedas all best friends are... REVIEW (35) -Ally**

**P.S. And just so you know, the surfer guy does not represent Amy flirting with every guy she sees, that part will have a point in later chapters... can you guess???**


	11. Comfort Zones

**Hi! Sorry, I know I said 35 reviews, but I was too tired to update and my friends and I went to San Fransisco on a mini trip. It was fun, thank you for asking... please review. -Ally**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Heartland, blah, blah, blah... for all you people who write something witty here, I'm sorry I'm not more like y'all.**

* * *

**Recap:**

_"We gave it a shot and, well, thanks, Amy. I'll see you on Monday." Chris headed back to his car and they waved as he drove down the driveway._

_Amy was glad it all worked out. Goodness, she didn't know what she would've done if it hadn't. And, this took off one more of her burdens, the race. Now she knew who she was going with and there were no conflicting dramas. She went to her room, knowing Soroya would be waiting, pretending to be all nonchalant, but really bubbling with questions since seeing the come home._

* * *

"Well, you watched him pick my up in his dad's Bentley, and drive off..." Amy told her the whole drive and dinner. "At the end, we realized, 'You know, this doesn't feel right.' Now, we're just friends and I feel _fantastic._ Plus, I saw this totally hot surfer dude." Amy said. 

"Good. Well, I'm sleeping over, and I've already tried on about everything in your closet waiting for you, so I'm bored, and tired. It's like, ten, so, let's fall asleep watching a movie and then wake up tomorrow, blow off the day, and get ready for your _next_ date with the Baldwin heir. _Round Number Two!_" Soroya boomed.

Amy rolled her eyes. "Let me just get over today first." Amy said.

Soroya had the want to watch _Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest_. Amy popped it into the projector and in five minutes she was fast asleep. She could faintly remember Soroya gently nudging her awake and guiding her up the stairs into her bedroom.

Amy woke with a start the next morning. The smell of cinnamon and maple sugar wafted into her nose. Soroya was probably already downstairs, being an early riser. Amy slipped on some fluffy bunny slippers and walked into the kitchen.

Soroya was still in her plaid pajama bottoms with a cutoff tank top for her shirt. She was digging into a pile of pancakes as if she hadn't been fed in weeks. She turned and smiled at Amy while her mouth was still stuffed with pancake.

"Morning, Amy." She said. "You fell asleep last night really early into the movie. You want some pancakes? Your mom makes the best! What's the secret?" Soroya asked, completely redirecting her attention to Marion.

"You add a hint of cinnamon and a dollop of whipped cream to make it fluffy. I remember when Amy was little she would eat at least five when I would make them every Sunday morning. Did you sleep well, honey?" Marion smiled and Amy could tell she was reminiscing.

"Yeah, thanks. Hey, Soroya, do you want to go for a ride after you've finished? The girl I told you about, Danielle, is coming at one, and then, after that, we can play some tennis in the courts and get ready after that. Does that sound okay?" Amy asked, now that she was fully awake.

"Yeah, that sounds good. Just let me have one more pancake." Soroya said as Amy went to the fridge for some orange juice. "Hey, can you get me a glass of milk?"

Amy nodded numbly and went on pouring. She wasn't in the mood for Saturday morning pancakes. She grabbed a Balance Bar from a box and ripped open the plastic with her teeth, holding her and Soroya's drinks in both hands as she walked to the counter where Soroya was sitting. She hungrily ate her protein bar and watched Soroya scarf down the remainders of her food.

Marion watched and finally said, "Amy, you didn't make a commitment to tomorrow night like I told you not to, right? This dinner with the Dandridges is important and they wanted their son to meet you."

Ignoring the fact that they were setting her up with the Dandridge's son, Amy said, "Of course I didn't, mom. Hey, do you think their son would want to go out to a club with me? It's a hell of a lot better than sitting at a table with a bunch of stuffy adults."

Marion gave her the look that said _I'll pretend I didn't just hear that, okay, Young Lady?_ "I'll ask Paul if he thinks that would be okay. He told me that Jesse was a flirt and couldn't stand sitting still for a long time, so that's the only reason I'm not turning down that idea completely. The last time I saw Jesse he was a toddler. He couldn't sit still then, either, but that was in a different sense." Marion reminisced again.

By now, Soroya had finished off every crumb of her pancake and had washed it down with her 1 milk. "Thanks, mom. We're going to change and go out, because, like Jesse, I can't stay still, either." Soroya out her plate in the sink and followed Amy as she bounded up the stairs two-at-a-time.

Amy changed into simple denim jodhpurs and a crisp pink Ralph Lauren Polo that was cut a little high and showed a thin line of skin whenever Amy moved. Soroya wore simple flare jeans that Amy oddly remembered getting on sale at Macy's junior department and a short sleeved American Eagle Tours shirt.

Soroya fit perfectly into Amy's old boots and Amy wore her regular ones. They went outside and Amy stood in the yard. "So, what do you want to do?" Amy asked.

"Can you give me a lesson? I've gotten a little lazy with my riding." Soroya asked.

"Sure!" Amy said, delighted to help. They went into the first barn and Amy went to the end of the stable block. "Hi, Winter." She crept into Winter's stall. Winter wasn't a show pony or even a touch valuable. He wasn't even technically a pony, per say. He was Alex's lesson horse from when he was ten. Winter had a soft, fluffy grey coat and alert brown eyes. Coming up around fifteen hands, he would be perfect for Soroya.

Amy told Soroya where to get the tack. Amy patiently watched as Soroya did up the girth the wrong way and didn't attach the martingale into the noseband. Winter could sense that Soroya was a little off and he took advantage of that by throwing up his head and stomping his hoof. Soroya wasn't a beginner; she knew what she was doing. She firmly tugged him forward and into the indoor arena.

Amy gave Soroya a leg up and assessed her as Soroya did her warm ups. She needed to balance out her weight more and keep her feet firmly in the stirrups. Those were minor mistakes from being away from riding a while, so Amy didn't fault her on them, just reminded her.

But, the main problem that Soroya had had ever since Amy could remember was that she couldn't keep her elbows tucked in unless under pressure at the few shows she competed in. Amy had an idea. She picked up a crop that Soroya wouldn't need and she placed it in the crook of Soroya's elbows. Amy took out a ribbon that she had tied around her pony tail and looped it to both ends of the crop and around Soroya's back.

Soroya's back was perfectly straight, and with the aid of the crop, her posture was perfect. Soroya cantered and kept her heels down and not wobbling. After a few pointers, Amy said, "Ready to jump?"

Soroya looked surprised. "You mean seriously?" Soroya questioned.

"You know I don't talk to waste my breath, so, um... _yeah seriously_!" Amy teased.

Amy fixed the heights of the already there jumps to about two-foot so they would be easy for Soroya and Winter. When Amy was assessing Soroya, they had been in a small cutoff of the arena where no jumps were placed. Soroya entered the small gate and lined about ten yards away from the first jump. Of course Amy had to remove the crop, but Soroya still tucked her elbows in as if the crop was still there.

"Ready?" Soroya asked.

"When you are." Amy smoothly replied.

Soroya circled around once and arrived at the first out of the five jumps. Winter popped over it and Soroya was getting giddy. Amy knew that when she got excited, she tended to put more heart into her riding. The second jump, Soroya over jumped, but she would calm down. The third time around, Winter kicked his heels up after the landing, and Soroya was a little unbalanced. Soroya sailed smoothly over the fourth jump and by the take-off of the fifth jump; Soroya was jumping like Amy for a split second.

"Nice job." Amy applauded her from the sidelines.

"Thanks." Soroya patted Winter earnestly and dismounted. "Hey, it's nearing one, you better get ready. You know, if it's okay with you, I'd rather not meet Danielle." Soroya walked Winter out.

Sensing something was wrong, Amy called, "What, Soroya, are you okay? Tell me, because I want to fix it."

Amy thought Soroya wasn't going to say anything, but she surprised her. "It's just, you have all these other friends that your hanging out with and I'm not apart of it. I have nothing against it, but I kind of feel, I don't know, a little left out of your life. We're best friends!" Soroya said.

Amy hugged Soroya. "Of course we are! _Soroya_, you know you'll always be my number one bestest friend ever in the history of the entire universe! Okay. Tell me, who do I willingly choose as my partner during gym class every time even when other people ask?"

"_Me._" Soroya dragged.

"And who do I share everything with? My secrets, my joys, my boys, and my _clothes?_" Amy asked.

"_Me._" Soroya rattled off.

"_And_, who do I always call when I'm bored and need a good time? I help her with riding, homework, and she helps me prepare for dates?"

"Me!" Soroya said with a little more oomph.

"Okay then! I don't think that there's any jeopardy of you not being my best friend forever." Amy put her arm around Soroya's shoulder and they walked back to the barn together. Amy was okay with Soroya not being there, now that they had worked it all out.

Soroya gave Winter tons off attention, and she planned to go out on the trails with one or two of the horses to pass the time away. Danielle came up the drive in a sleek black Escalade. She went to check on Gen.

He had calmed since last night when he was prancing about. But Danni noticed something off in the first minute. "Hey, Amy." She called.

"Yeah, what's up?" She asked.

"Do you notice something off? Like, his body, although this may sound weird, his coat seems to have a little less of a shine." Danielle motioned Amy over.

"Um, no?" Amy covered.

"Also, I may be mistaken, but that shine on his coat that seems to be weakening was like that last time. Can you tell that?" Danni asked.

Amy surveyed General up and down. Danni was right. General's over all appearance was slacking. Who knew a day's worth of food could do that? _The only road,_ Amy thought, _is to tell the truth..._

"Well, listen, Danni. I came into the barn late last night and he was jittering in his sleep. Full on twitching, like he was awake, but not awake. That has to do with an excess of energy. All those foods you put him on give him fortified amounts and he needs a way to work it off, and the only way is through sleep. Something needs to be changed." Amy said.

Danielle's eyes opened wide with shock. "Well, you better have fixed that!" She exclaimed.

"Of course I did, but the sudden food change has thrown him off course and he needs some time to readjust to this, so for a little his appearances may falter. Is that okay?" Amy asked attentively.

"Thank you, Amy. I never noticed all that. The change in attitude I can live with. But, this won't affect his performance will it?" Danni asked.

"I put in half the amount of the food you were originally giving him, so he'll still get all that, plus I added some of my moms cleansing mush, natural herb pills, and a few drops each of Crab Apple and Red Chestnut remedies." Amy felt proud and also a tad surprised that Danni was agreeing with her.

"Great." Danni looked relieved. Amy noticed for the first time that she did have a single flaw. She looked tired and overworked. The gray-blue circles under her eyes were _not_ flattering. _It's probably all the stress from worrying about the Olympics and what-not._ Amy thought.

"Hey, Danni, do you want to come in and get a drink? You look exhausted. Is everything okay?" Amy asked.

"I'd love to."

"Good. You need it."

As they trudged up to the house together, Amy saw out of the corner of her eye that Danni was about to say something but stopped. Amy needed to break the tension. "You know, I've always wanted a dog. Do you have a dog?" Amy asked.

Danni looked at her oddly and Amy shrugged. It was a perfectly reasonable random question to lighten the moment. Danni smiled lightly. "Um, well, I used to have a dog, before... well."

"What, are you okay?" Amy encouraged her to continue talking. Danni was exactly like herself in many ways, and Amy knew the way to get her feelings unwound is to talk about it.

Danni loosened up her shoulders, which, Amy noticed just then, had been stiff and tight. "My... my parents are getting a, a divorce, and so... so, we used to have a dog, but the, the separation kind of caused it where none of them could take care of him."

Amy knew there was more to the story and didn't say anything, not provoking Danni to talk more and complete her thoughts. "Why do you think I live in my own apartment?" Danni asked. It wasn't meant to be snappy, it was a genuine question.

Danni looked up at Amy for the first time since this conversation had started. She was expecting an answer. "Uhhhhh. You didn't want to take care of the dog?" Amy really had no idea.

Danni shook her head. "I love that dog with all my heart. Saxon, his name is. He's a spunky chocolate lab. But, the real reason was, I couldn't stand the thought of going house to house. I'd seen all my high school friends do it before. And I guess I took it for granted that my parents were happily together without and care in the world, while, behind closed doors, they were waging a war." Danni grimaced.

"It's okay. It's not like you knew what was coming." Amy patted Danni on the shoulder comfortingly. She noticed that they had somehow found they're way to the paddock fence and were leaning on it.

"But, the problem is, I did. I did know what was going on, but I refused to let myself surrender to it, and when it finally seeped through to the surface, I was crushed." Danni hoisted herself onto the fence and glared into the distance.

Amy knew that was where the self-blame should halt. "I know this kind of trivial, you know, compared to everything else, but, just wondering, what happened to Saxon?" She asked.

Danni looked over her shoulder at Amy and smiled. "He's at my boyfriend's house. He's better off there anyway. Saxon couldn't have thrived in either of my parents' houses, or grown fully in my two room apartment, no matter how big that may seem."

"_Ooooh._ There's a boyfriend now, there is. Tell me more." Amy now felt she was on a high enough level of friendship to tease Danielle and ask about her boyfriend.

She blushed. "Yep, I've been with him for just over two years now. We both go to Scottsdale Prep Academy."

Amy was surprised happily. "Hey, I'm transferring to Scottsdale in the next semester. That's so cool."

"Oh! That's great. We could definitely be best friends then. On your shadow day, aka the 'New Kid Experience', you might have seen him, well, considering you've done your shadow day yet." Danni raised her eyebrows in question.

"Yeah, yeah I've gone for my, um, shadow day. What does he look like?" Amy asked. It wouldn't be worth it to ask his name, because she had only known Emily and Ty.

"He has brown hair, green eyes, and a fantastically toned body." That was all Danielle was willing to cough up.

"Okay... Going all secretive on the guy, now are we?" Amy teased. She put her hand up to her forehead to wipe away the sweat. "Let's get those drinks now. I'm going to overheat from the intensity of the yard."

On the way up, underneath the laughing and talking about a different subject other than Scottsdale and Danni's boyfriend, Amy could tell something wasn't right underneath the mask of her friendliness. _Could it be... no? Danni's boyfriend _can't_ be... Ty... _She waved it out of her mind. It couldn't be Ty, he was with her.

Amy asked, "Hey, what do you want to drink?"

"Oh, well, am I going to get any offers?" Danni questioned.

"You can have anything. Lucille will make it for us." Amy said, motioning to Lucille, the other maid, but the main cook at that moment who was standing, prepared to take orders.

"Cool, well, can I get, um, strawberry lemonade?" Danni asked.

Amy nodded. Lucille scurried to the back, but paused so she could take Amy's order. "I'll have a protein shake, raspberry flavor and add two pinches of sugar so I can cheat." Amy said. Lucille smiled and went to work in the kitchen.

"Protein shakes? Sugar?" Danni asked with a smile.

"Yup. Twice a week I drink a protein shake instead of lunch, and once in a teeny while," Amy indicated 'teeny' with her fingers, "I cheat just a bit by adding sugar so the taste of soggy cardboard with artificial raspberry flavoring doesn't percolate through, at least not that much." Amy said.

Danni laughed and then Lucille came out with their drinks, one in each hand. Danni took a sip of her ice blended strawberry lemonade with real cut up lemons and strawberries. Danni took a sip and gasped at how good it tasted. Meanwhile, Amy was staring at her drink, putting it off as long as she could.

Danni was nearly half way done with her beverage when she turned to look at Amy, still contentedly staring at her drink. "Um, Amy, you have to put your mouth to the straw and suck." Danni said.

Amy grimaced and took her first sip. Her mouth twisted around and she felt like she wanted to throw it down the sink. But, nonetheless, Amy pulled out the straw and chugged the rest of the shake without tasting it. She looked up when the drink was finished and Danni was watching bemusedly.

"It... tastes... like... _crap._" Amy announced. The aftertaste was the only thing she had to worry about and, sure as daylight, it tasted like soggy cardboard in the back of her throat.

Danni giggled. She finished off the remainder of her strawberry lemonade. Amy washed out the taste of cardboard with her second glass of water. To keep fit, she drank at least two or three glasses a day.

"Amy, I don't get it. We're horse people. We compete and ride everyday! You don't need to digest those awful power shakes. I noticed also that it was reeling in your mind that you needed to drink another glass of water when you eyed it. Amy, relax, we ride horses. We don't need to worry." Danni exclaimed.

She had hit home and meant to. Amy smiled at the concern. "Yeah, I guess you're right, but I don't worry about my weight. I like to be goal oriented and drink that water and face the challenge of not barfing over those shakes. Those are my sister's anyway, and I promised myself I would stop once I finished off the packets and barrels of it. I'm doing well."

Danni, although a little wobbled by that explanation, understood that. She was the same way. A single goaled mind frame and you could do loads. It made sense if you thought about it. "'Kay. I get it."

Amy glanced respectively at the clock above the barn. _Ooh._ Time was cutting close. Okay, well, there _was_ no _fixed_ schedule, but a timely mindset helped keep things organized.

Luckily, Danni said, "Oh, well, I have to go. I have a late afternoon training session with Nick."

"What horse are you using?" Amy asked out of curiosity.

"My friend, Michelle Burke's, horse, Split Second." Danni said flatly, trying to keep the edge out of her voice.

Amy wasn't fazed. Michelle Burke was a top dressage gold-medalist. Danni must not like her. "Cool. But, isn't she, like, your competition? She's letting you use her Olympic horse, Split Second?"

"I hate her. But, our moms are in some gardening club together, and out fathers often play basketball together, so we're expected to be friends. She thinks she's _so_ much better than me and my _lower-class_ pony. And she feels _sorry_ for me for probably not getting to go to the Olympics _again_ while she will _again_." Danni was getting her anger out.

"Hey. Chill out. Maybe she's trying to be friendly, I mean _really_ trying. Haven't you ever heard of a little friendly competition? Give her a chance. I don't blame you for hating her. I would, but that's not the point. Try to be friends with her and see how it ends up. Hey, maybe lending you Barney is her peace offering." Amy said, mentioning Split Second, otherwise known as Barney in the stables.

"Will do. Okay. Thanks, Amy. Are you any good at dressage? I want you to come over to JT Stables. Well, see you soon, and call me if anything happens." Danni called.

She hopped into her SUV and Amy waved as she backed out of the driveway, not going around because Lou's A4 Audi was in the way. _Note to self: spend some time personally with General._ Amy thought as she kicked up dirt heading into the barn where she knew Soroya would be.

Amy found Soroya in the tack room of the second barn cleaning scuffs out of a saddle. "Hey. Danielle left. Want to go play some tennis?" Amy asked.

Soroya looked up. "Sure. Well, I rode Frisco for Don and Sentiment for Fred. I felt it was the least I could do to help."

"_What a saint_." Amt teased. They headed up to the house to change. They threw their barn clothes down the laundry chute. Amy changed into a Stella McCartney for Adidas tennis dress in off blue. Soroya slipped into a sunny yellow RL polo and a Nike skirt. _Classic._

Amy loved tennis. It exercised all important parts of the body (but not like soccer did, as Bridget would argue) and it also stressed the mind to contemplate your opponent's moves.

Amy knew she wouldn't have to worry so much about the thinking, as Soroya was completely predictable and very oblivious. Once in a while, Amy let her win.

They got a bottle of water on the way down and slicked on the sunscreen. Soroya clasped her visor on and Amy put on her sport sunglasses.

The courts were behind a ginormous leafy, green, ivy-covered wall parallel to the pool, separating the pool and the courts, so they went around and through a gate and into the pair of tennis courts. Amy let Soroya be the one to not face the sun.

"Don't let me win today, okay?" Soroya requested.

"Now!? When have I ever let you win? I swear, on some days your just _better_ than me. Have you _never_ heard of an off day?" Amy teased, being sarcastic, of course.

She did as she promised and didn't let Soroya win, in fact, she played her hardest which never happened when she was playing _Soroya._ She beat Soroya 6-0, 6-0, 6-0.

Two hours had passed since Amy had just begun to cream Soroya. Soroya held her hand up in a defeated manner. "Okay..." She was out of breath. "Scratch what I said earlier. Let me win next time." Soroya cut the game and nearly finished off the water.

Amy shook her head in amusement. "This was... interesting." Amy said.

Soroya took a break for gulping down the water and she glanced at her pink Casio Baby-G. "Time to get ready, but we really need a shower. I'm _exhausted._ Is this how hard you work your horses? Because then you're being tough on them!"

* * *

**So, I wanted to include Ty's date in this chapter, but it was too big (28 pgs). I thought this had enough to fill a chapter. Consider this a filler/not-filler chapter. Please reveiw. I'm not putting a minimum on this b/c I'm going to Hawaii with my family, so I don't know when I'll be able to update! Sorry. -A.**


	12. Second Time's the Charm

OMG!!! Hi! I'm so sorry I didn't update, Itold you i'd be in Hawaii, so I went for to weeks. Then I had to unpack _everything_. Plus, my mom suddenly realized how untidy the house is and made me go crazy!!! So, there's my explanation. Please read, and don't forget to review! I'm excited about this chapter. It's the one where Amy goes out with Ty. Have fun!!! -A

* * *

_Two hours had passed since Amy had just begun to cream Soroya. Soroya held her hand up in a defeated manner. "Okay..." She was out of breath. "Scratch what I said earlier. Let me win next time." Soroya cut the game and nearly finished off the water._

_Amy shook her head in amusement. "This was... interesting." Amy said._

* * *

Amy chuckled and they walked the full distance to the house. Amy and Soroya both took a shower and Soroya insisted that Amy use her new Philosophy coconut shampoo and conditioner. Amy came out of the shower and used the curling attachment on her blow-dryer to dry up her hair.

Soroya's hair dripped all over the tile floor when she came in from using the main upstairs shower. Her hair couldn't be blow-dried, because her dark locks frizzed in the heat.

Amy knew the routine after doing it yesterday. Amy's hair was slightly curled because of the drier, but Soroya opted for a change from yesterday. Soroya pulled back the upper crown and clipped it back with a few crisscrossed bobby pins. That style projected more of Amy's forehead and softened her jaw line.

Soroya went for the near-natural, fresh, no-makeup look. A soft complexion like Amy's and a little Cherry-Vanilla Beauty Rush lip gloss from VS to achieve shiny, clear lips made Amy look perfect, well at least for what Soroya was aiming for.

Soroya touched up Amy's nail polish. Other than the make up and the hair, Amy's look stayed exactly the same as yesterday. "Nearly 7:30!" Soroya mimicked, finishing up curling a few of Amy's ends with a ringlet curler. Amy laughed. Alice in Wonderland was one of their favorite movies growing up.

"What are you planning on doing while I'm gone?" Amy asked Soroya.

"Oh, I was going to ask Alex if he wanted to go down to town to grab some ice-cream. Also, I was going to go down the street and talk to Bryan from my Grammar Studies class. He's really cute. So, I might not be here when you get back, but I'll try to be here to hear the full scoop!" Soroya exclaimed.

"Okay. Cool, well, I'm going to _get into position._" Amy teased.

"Hold on. Something's missing..." Soroya trailed off. She scurried through Amy's jewelry box and pulled out a Tiffany's simple heart clasp necklace. It had been Marion's gift to Amy for her sixteenth. It used to belong to Amy's grandmother.

Amy absentmindedly fingered it around her neck and bent down to push her feet into her pumps. Soroya shooed her over to the _left_ side of the double staircase (Soroya insisted the right was for Chris).

The doorbell rang and Amy signaled for Lucy to open the door. Unlike Chris, Ty looked directly up at her once the door was opened. _I can't keep comparing him to Chris._ Amy reprimanded herself.

"Hey there." Ty said. Amy simply smiled. Ty was wearing casual black jeans and an emerald green button down which made his eyes shine even brighter green. "You look great." He concluded.

"You don't look half bad yourself." She replied as she gracefully stepped down the stairs. She met him at the door.

"You might want a jacket." He pointed out.

"Okay..." She looked questionably at him but obliged, pulling out her Burberry double-breasted wrap trench from the closet.

"Come on." He grasped her hand and led her over to his car, the same blue Escalade EXT from the day she had met him at SPA. He opened the door for her and walked around the front of the car to get in himself.

"So, where, exactly, are we going?" Amy asked, already knowing the answer.

"You'll see." He smiled mischievously. That was exactly the answer Amy was expecting.

He flipped on the radio. "So, what's been going on?" Ty asked subtly.

"Noth..." Amy gasped. She just remembered the thing abut Dylan. She hadn't talked to Ty yet. She hit her head against the glass window.

"Whoa, whoa. Stop, Amy. You're going hurt yourself." Ty said.

Amy couldn't help but smile. He was so cute. She leaned back in the beige leather seats. "Okay, what's wrong with Dylan?" Amy forthrightly asked.

"Um, you don't know...?" Ty asked.

"Well, obviously I know, but I want to hear it from you." Amy said.

"My stupid father's fault. I can never forgive him." Ty said.

"Why? I mean, I know how he was drunk and everything, and whatever, but why can't you forgive him? We'll cure Dylan. Don't worry." Amy asked.

"Dylan was like my last escape from everything. Showing and Dylan were the only things that mattered at the time. Dylan was given to me by my grandparents. He had been finely bred and right before my grandfather passed away, he told me to always keep Dylan at heart to remember him. I loved that old man." Ty shook his head.

"Oh. I'm so sad for you. I bet he knew what you needed." Amy said.

"Yeah, but, can't spend too much time drawling on the past. Look forth to the future and don't look back for your answers, look forward." Ty said. "But, anyway, enough about me, tell me about you and Heartland. Any new boarders?"

"Well, there's a new dressage duo. Danielle Blake and Formal Obsession." Amy said.

Ty look suffocated. "Oh... really?" He was trying to disguise some emotion in his voice. Amy shrugged it off.

Ty turned up the radio. The song by Alana Grace, "Black Roses Red" was on. Somewhere else in the car, "My Love" By JT ft T.I. played. Ty pulled his RAZR out of his pocket and flipped it open.

"Hello?" He said. "Not now." Pause. "Later, I know." Another pause. "Okay. I will. Bye, yeah."

Ty swerved into a branching road. Amy finally noticed their surroundings. They were at Meredith Docks – a boating place in a lake. "Hmm?" Amy turned to Ty.

"You'll see." Ty slyly smiled.

They pulled into a spot by a bar. As soon as Ty got out, a call was heard. "Hey, Ty. Bad boy!"

Amy was outgoing, and so no unfamiliar faces faltered her. So, when Ty gave her a look to grand him permission to go see his friends, Amy nodded and smiled. She followed him into the crowded bar. A lot of high schoolers were formed in a group and opened up when Ty arrived.

"Hey, man!" A guy came up to them. He was about 6 foot with spiky blond hair and a killer smile. He was wearing a billabong tank and red board shorts with hibiscus flowers adorning its exterior. He noticed Amy. "Hey." He said a little cautiously.

"Hi. I'm Amy." She said.

"Josh Fender. Cool to meet you." He stuck out his hand.

"You too." She smiled, but not a flirty smile a real smile.

He redirected his attention to Ty. "Can I get you or your lady a beer or something?" He asked.

"No, man. We're going now. Just wanted to say hi to you guys." Ty said.

"Oh, come on, dude. You've been so responsible lately! Loosen up! High school is almost over. You can't be sober the entire last year of high school! What about your girl?" He turned to Amy and gestured if she wanted a drink.

"No, thanks." Amy picked carefully through her facial expressions. She didn't drink. Well, okay, that was a lie, but only at clubs and special events. This Josh guy was putting some serious peer pressure on Ty, but Amy admired the way Ty refused graciously.

"Hey, hottie!" A girl's voice projected through the bar.

"Hey, V." Ty called. He stepped forward and hugged a girl. She was a little shorter than Amy and wore an orange, flowery sun dress. Her skin was orangey-red. _Ooh, attack of the sunless tanner. _Amy thought, and smiled to herself at the idea.

Meanwhile Ty was still talking to "V," her name was. Amy stepped forward.

"Hi, I'm Amy." Amy smiled. She loved Ty's friends and the atmosphere of the bar, but, for her, going unnoticed was not her favorite thing.

The girl gave her a nasty look that clearly said, "Who are you and why are you interrupting, you little low-life?"

Amy just smiled sweeter in return, meanwhile combusting under the surface.

"Amy, this is V. Well, short for Vanessa. V, this is my date tonight, Amy." Ty introduced them.

V gaped at Ty. _Omigosh! She _likes _him! But she doesn't have a chance with him while I'm here. She was obviously flirting with him when I came into the conversation. _Amy's mean thoughts surprised even her at the level of meanness.

"So, V, do you go to Scottsdale, too? I'll be going there next semester." _Score one for Amy!_ She couldn't help but add that fact.

V now was gaping at Ty and shooting sharp vicious looks at Amy. "Hmm, it's, um, _great_ to meet you, Ally." There was enough spite in the word 'great' to supply the entire world.

"Amy. My _name_ is Amy." Amy rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, whatever." V replied.

"Okay..." Ty was feeling uncomfortable at the tension. "It was great talking to you, V. But, Amy, I want you to meet some more of my friends." V was dismissed. Ty led Amy around a group of kids and Amy turned her head over her shoulder. V shot her the bitterest of sickly sweet smiles.

Ty stopped in front of a gang of three people: two girls and a guy. Josh joined the gang. "Amy, this is Terri, Robin, and Jay. Guys, this is Amy."

"Hey. I'm Amy." Amy was so good at this introducing herself and not being baffled by the cattiness.

"Hi, Amy." The two girls, Terri and Robin chorused.

"What's up?" Jay asked.

"Oh, nothing. You?" Amy asked.

"We're fine. But, tell us more about you. Where do you go to school?" Robin asked, she looked like the most outgoing of the group.

"She's going to SPA at the next turn." Josh answered for her.

"Really!?" A gasp of surprise came from the girls.

"You'll definitely be in the scene with us, then. Only the cool people are there." Robin said.

"The scene?" Amy asked.

"It's the cool hang out group. We all," Jay indicated around the room, "are part of the group. But Robin, here, barely made it in considering how _verbal_ she is." He glared at Robin. Amy laughed.

"Well, I'm honored to be in the scene." Amy said.

"It took us all of sophomore year of groveling to get in." Terri piped up.

"Well, I allowed you in, so quit complaining." Ty chirped in.

"You?" Amy asked.

"Yeah, Mr. I'm-so-cool-that-I-make-Brad-Pitt-jealous, over here," Josh pointed at Ty, "he makes the rules and the list."

"The list?" Amy asked. Boy was she getting tired of asking these one-line trivial questions.

"It's the list of cool, drool, and completely lame, plus about fifteen other categories." Terri said, rolling her eyes. "They are all a piece of work. It gets completely weird at our school." Terri warned.

"Hey, Ty, what section of the list would Amy be in?" Jay asked.

"Hmm... maybe the emos..." Ty teased. Amy opened her mouth to protest. Ty chuckled. "Nope, maybe not. Probably our kind." He confirmed. She smacked him playfully.

Robin's hand shot directly into the air. A waitress bustled over. "One Cosmo for my friend, Amy, here. Also, a Sam Adams for Mr. Baldwin." The waitress nodded and returned to where she came from.

"Rob! I said I didn't want a drink! Amy and I should get going now, anyway." Ty sighed.

"Oh, come on! One drink won't do you any bad! Please!" Robin begged.

Ty gave Amy the permission granting look again. She shrugged and smiled. "Great!" Robin exclaimed. "Sit down!" Robin gestured to an empty seat next to her. Ty remained standing.

"So, tell me _more._" Robin said.

"Okay. I love tennis, shopping, music, my cell phone, my cars, and everything else. I live in Heartland, a rehabilitation center for horses. I'm in love with Juicy Couture. My best friend's name is Soroya. I have a friend name Bridget, but I call her Bee. She has a boyfriend named Eric. I have a thirteen year old brother named Alex who is obsessed with his Xbox 360. And I have a sister named Lou. What else do you want to know?" Amy asked, out of breath.

Robin giggled. "You are too cute! That's perfect info for the scene. Now, tell me something completely random and trivial about you." Robin requested.

"Why?" Ty asked. It was a genuine question.

"Why not?" Robin replied, not missing a beat and focusing on Amy.

"Okay." Amy scrambled her mind for a fact. "I've always wanted a dog, because whenever I come home, my house is too hugely empty for anyone to hear me and greet me, so I want a dog to come yapping at my heels and lick my face. Good enough?" Amy asked.

A few chuckles were heard from the group. "That's hilarious." Terri said. Robin readjusted the strap on her one-sleeved red sheath shirt. Jay, Ty, and Josh were engaged in their own conversation.

"Okay. Now for the digging in the info." Terri leaned forward, and Robin did the same. "Is this Eric, Brigitte's boyfriend...?"

"Bridget." Amy added.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. So, is Bridget's, or Bee's, boyfriend, Eric?" Terri began.

"Yeah?" Amy asked, willing to go along with their counterfactuals.

"Have you ever had a crush on him behind Bee's back?" Terri pestered.

Amy's mouth upturned into a smile. The waitress came in with the drinks and Amy left hers on the table, untouched. "I thought he was totally gorgeous when I first met him, but he was too _boring_ for me. I introduced Bee and Eric. No fun, I know!" Amy said, noticing Robin's aghast look.

"Well, I always say, Life's better plain good looking and exciting, than gorgeous and boring." Robin said.

"No you don't." Terri cut in.

"Well, I'm going to start now." Robin scoffed.

The three girls burst into laughter. "Come on, Amy. Try your Cosmo. They make the best ones here. And, don't worry, there's half the amount of alcohol than in normal Cosmopolitans." Robin assured.

Happy with this tidbit of information, Amy tenderly picked up the glass and touched her lips to the edge of the glass cup. It was extremely sweet and the alcohol could barely be tasted. As soon as the liquid hit her throat, it warmed her stomach and Amy felt good. She knew she couldn't get too sucked in, but a few sips now and them wouldn't hurt.

"Good?" Terri asked.

"Delish!" Amy exclaimed.

"Perfect! So, Amy, tell me about you and Ty. How long? Has he kissed you yet? He usually kisses all girls on his second or third meeting." Terri asked.

"Huh?" Amy asked. Of course it was obvious that every girl on the planet would date Ty if they had a chance, but it didn't occur to her that he was a player!

"Come on, Amy. He's Ty Baldwin. Half the girls in this room are vying to be you right now. Look at him. Everyone wants a piece of Tyler Baldwin..." Robin said.

At that moment, when the girls were studying his profile, Ty turned and indicated to his watch. "Amy, let's go. We can't be late." He mouthed.

He came over and offered him his hand. Amy tentatively reached out for it and grasped his hand. "Uh, okay. It was so great meeting you guys, and we'll talk soon." Amy said.

"Yeah, Ty has our numbers he'll give them to you. And he'll do the same to us. We have to go shopping some time, Amy. I love that dress. Is it Juicy?" Robin asked.

"Yep." Amy's eyes were wandering. What Robin had said earlier hit Amy like a car crash. She caught the look in Robin's eyes that was meant to be warning and friendly, in only the way that friends can pull off without making it completely obnoxious, that said, "Remember what we talked about."

Amy hugged Terri and Robin, and couldn't help hugging Josh. She said bye to all the new friends she had made. Ty led Amy outside and put his arm over her shoulder. He smiled at her and she smiled back, the feeling of jealousy being barred off in her mind.

"Come on." Ty said. The sky was just darkening. He led her onto the docks and she followed him.

"Um, Ty. Are we, um, going _swimming?_" Amy wondered.

"Not exactly." Ty said.

He helped her step over a gap in the planks and halted abruptly. Amy, who was watching her footwork, ran straight into his back. She looked to what they were standing in front of. A rowboat.

"Um, I'm still guessing swimming." Amy teased.

"Come on, smarty." He pushed out a ladder that hooked onto the boat and stepped into the boat first. He held his hand out to her and she took it firmly. She didn't want to make a fool of herself by falling into the water.

He sat her on one of the plank benches. He sat on the other side, and grabbed a hold of the paddles. The smooth motion of the boat calmed Amy's senses. She shot him a questioning glance. He merely continued rowing and Amy pulled her coat around her shoulders tighter.

They had been going at the glances and rowing for nearly five minutes when, out of the corner of her eye, Amy spotted something twinkling. She adjusted her eyes to the darkness and craned her neck to get a better view. It was... a _city?_ Amy wondered.

Amy hadn't ever been exactly a pro a puzzles: mental _or_ jigsaw. Her mind couldn't piece together the clues. Ty wasn't perfectly aiming the boat at the city, so maybe they were just going to keep rowing forever... but that would be no fun.

"Want to take another guess?" Ty questioned.

Well, a date had to include _dinner_, so... that was it! He was taking her out to a restaurant in the island 'city.' "First, you have to tall me if that is Betel, the land mass that is connected to the dock on the other side of the bay." Amy said.

"And what if I said yes?" Ty was smirking.

"Then, I'd say, you were taking me to... the new restaurant there, Amour sur la Buie?" Amy guessed.

"And what if I said yes to _that?_" Ty raised his eyebrows.

"Then, I would say that I'm in the mood for a... salmon salad." The truth was, Amy wasn't in the mood for a salmon salad, but it should be a tradition, right? Plus, Amour sur la Buie was getting well known for its seafood, and salad, so it's two in one.

"I'd say you're in luck, then." Ty smiled. By now, the little boat had reached close to the dock. Ty fished out a rope from under his seat and waved it expertly in the air and threw it right over the column. It hooked on, and Ty pulled them in close. He tied it and hopped out first. He held his hand out to Amy. Ty helped her get out of the vessel.

They walked along the dock in silence for a few moments, until Ty said, "At first glance, what would you think of me?" This question surprised Amy. "Honestly, of course." Ty added.

"Well... wait, if I didn't know who you were, what your family did, where you lived, and what you were like?" Amy asked.

"Yeah."

"Well," Amy studied his profile. Ty laughed. "I'm being serious here, don't laugh." Amy said. She cocked her head to the side and studied him thoroughly. "Okay. I'm ready." Amy paused.

"And..." Ty questioned.

"Hold on, I'm thinking." Amy said. Ty sighed. "Okay. Well, I would say that you're good with the ladies, and have a great sense of humor that could sometimes get you in trouble. Some things have happened that weren't to your liking." Amy paused to look into his eyes seriously for a moment. "And that every decision you make determines the rest of your life."

Ty tilted his head back and sighed. There was a long and comfortable pause. "You couldn't be more right." He squeezed her hand and smiled.

At this time, the dock had ended, and they had reached the outskirts of the little town. Ty led her to the outside of the restaurant. The hostess greeted them. She had a French accent. "Reservations for... Baldwin, Bradley?" She asked.

"Yes, thank you." Ty replied. Amy shot across a questioning look about the _Bradley _Baldwin name, but, either Ty didn't see her, or he ignored it. She led them over to a nice table in the peak of the room. Ty pulled out the chair for Amy. "Your seat, Madame." He said in a lame version of a faulty French accent.

"Why, thank you." She replied. As soon as she picked up the menu, she put it down. A salmon salad was her choice. She somehow owed it to Chris.

The waitress came, a stout, pale girl in her mid-twenties. "I'll have a steak, and the lady here will have a..."

"Tossed Salmon Salad." Amy answered.

She scribbled something on her pad. Amy took a sip of her Perrier water. Ty watched her intently. "What?" Amy asked, dabbing the side of her mouth with her napkin.

"You're so perfect in this environment." Ty replied simply.

"Am I not supposed to be?" Amy asked.

"Well, I don't know." Ty said.

"If I'm relaxed, than what does that make you?" Amy said to Ty who was leaning back comfortably in the high-backed chair.

"I've never _liked _to be in the public eye." Ty said.

"Oh, really?" Amy raised her eyebrows skeptically.

"Okay. Picture this on the cover of _People Magazine_, or, _Us Weekly_: BALDWIN HEIR, TYLER BALDWIN, PARTIES AT THE HOT CLUB, FIXATION, and UNESCORTED BY BODY GUARDS." Ty held up his hands dramatically.

"So? The last time I was on a cover, it said, AMY FLEMING, SOCIALITE OF HEARTLAND STABLES, THROWS UP FROM MASSIVE ALCOHOL INTAKE." Amy paused. "I went to the snack table at a hot party, had some guacamole dip, got some on the edge of my mouth, and tabloids consider _guacamole _throw up, and I'm splattered on magazine covers. I was in major trouble for that. You've got it easy." Amy scoffed.

"See? You handle these things so well. I had to actually _practice_ for when I go to clubs. Practice! To train myself to never naturally pose in a way that they would think I'm drunk or high. I can't do those party things alone." Ty shook his hair into his eyes.

"Well," Amy was taking a risk with this, "maybe you don't have to do it alone." Ty looked up from staring at his steak and smiled. He reached across the table for her hand.

"Maybe I won't." He said.

"Good," was all that came out of Amy's mouth.

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence. By the time Amy and Ty had both finished, it was around nine-forty-five. He motioned for the waiter, and paid the check. Before Amy even got the chance to stand up, Ty was over in a second to pull out her chair for her. She hooked her arm through his.

"Let's just... explore the city for a minute." Amy declared.

Ty nodded. She put her head against his shoulder. They were in the town square, where a statue of Gerry Betel stood in the smack-dab middle. Soothing jazz saxophone music drifted over to them.

Ty stood up from the bench they were seated on, and offered her his hand. "Would you like to dance?" He bowed.

"I very much would like to dance." Amy replied.

She nestled her head against his chest. They danced in the calming atmosphere for a few moments. Amy was blinded by a flash directly in front of her eyes. There was no mistaking it – that was the flash of a camera. She fell against Ty's chest and he turned around. Amy steadied herself.

She saw the outline of a man in a khaki fishing vest and a backwards green cap on top of his messy brown hair slightly hidden by the statue he was hiding behind. In his hands, Amy saw the latest Nike quick-shot camera. It was the camera of the paparazzi.

"Hey!" Ty called. He stepped calmly forward. "I'm going to need that camera back." He said.

"No way, man. Do you know how much a shot of a Fleming and a Baldwin together would go for in the press?" He paused, his eyes wide. "More than I make in a year!"

Ty, normally always prepared with a comeback, stepped back. Amy thought now was her unwritten cue. "Um, sorry. I'm Amy Fleming, and I _need_ that camera. Please?" She added for emphasis.

"Not going to happen." He articulated his words to get his point across.

"Wow! Look! There's Rachel Bilson making out with Brad Pitt! Not her boyfriend, Ryan Gosling!" At the moment the photographer turned, Amy grabbed the camera. It stayed firmly in his grasp.

"Nice try, doll face. I've had that happen millions of time before. I always grip my camera tighter _before_ I turn to look." He said. To Amy, that was also stupid. He still believed her, just didn't let go of his camera? What was _his _definition of smart, exactly?

Amy was out of ideas and defeated. "Well, hate to run, but..." The photographer shot around the corner in a flash. Amy stood there, amazed.

Ty nudged her. "Run for him!" They followed him around the corner to the dock. He was taking off across the dark blue water in a motor boat. There was no chance that they could catch him, so they stayed where they were.

"You know what I said about photographers..." Amy panted, doubled over and out of breath from running in her heels.

"Yeah?" Ty asked.

"I hate them with a vengeance." Amy said.

Ty smiled. "Amy, we are who we are. And when you're us, revenge comes on a silver platter."

"That's good to hear." Amy replied.

"Come on." Ty helped her up from sitting on the ground and they walked back to the docks. "Hey, they at least better have a good picture."

"Is that really what's running through your mind right now?" Amy asked.

"Why? Do you not like us as an us?" Ty asked, raising an eyebrow.

Amy was quickly thinking up a reply, but then she caught the teasing twinkle in Ty's eyes. "Of course not. But, won't they talk?" Amy asked.

"Well, yeah. It's not their business. But, looking at you, I see that you just force your shoulders back and chin up and face it as they give it." He said.

"_Ty_, we are fifteen miles from a major city. Gossip and drama here travels like wildfire. Everyone knows your business, and I have a major problem with that. It's like they don't mind if you know about them, but they love to hear about you." Amy said.

"Um... I have no comment." Ty said.

Amy laughed. By now they were standing in front of his boat and Ty helped her in. He rowed the boat into the darkness. The indigo blue water swallowed up her self confidence and ate her whole. Her thoughts drifted miles away.

A sharp stop of the boat hitting something brought Amy back to her senses. They were tied up at the dock and Ty was just completing his knot. He stepped out and offered her his hand. They treaded through the sand up past the bar where Ty's friends were now long-gone.

They got to the car and Ty opened up the door for her. _A true gentleman._ Amy thought. She smiled at him and he changed gear quietly in the darkness.

On the ride home, they talked about normal things; home, friends, family. Sooner than Amy would have guessed, they were pulling into the driveway of Heartland.

He stopped the car and looked over at her. Amy blushed. He leaned over and kissed her. "Thank you for tonight." He said.

"No, I should be thanking you." She said.

"Well, besides the reporter, I had a great night." He said.

He came around and helped her out of the car. She took a risk and kissed him gently on the cheek. "Good night." She whispered. She ran up to the house, leaving him at the car, smiling.

* * *

**I suck at endings, don't I!?!? Well, again, sorry I couldn't update until this late (see explanation above.)! Thanks for reviewing. Oh, and don't forget, I need ideas for a story (idealized by you, written by me!). Thanks for reading! Please review! -A**


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